Maryland has a rich Native American history. Although only three tribes have state recognition, (Piscataway, Conoy, and Accohannock), several towns, geographic features, and even infrastructure are influenced by Native American roots. Here are as many of the place names named after Native Americans I could find. I'm sure there are many more; our history runs deep. Most of these words are from the Algonquin languages, and there are variant and debated definitions. A name is critical to sense of place, and they represent the myriad of forces that have influenced our state.
Youghiogheny: Yok-i-gay-nee. “A stream flowing in an opposite direction.” The “Yok” for short is unique in that it flows north, from Backbone Mountain in Preston County, West Virginia to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It’s stretch in Maryland is regionally renown for whitewater kayaking. The Youghiogheny were a small band of the Shawnee Tribe.
Conococheague: A Potomac river tributary in Washington County. It’s pronunciation is debated, but I say “Kah-na-KAH-cheeg.” It’s a Delaware tribe word that means “very long.” It’s 80 miles from its source in Franklin County, PA to the Potomac. (Source)
Monocacy: Mon-AH-ka-see. “River with many bends.” The Monocacy flows 60 miles from Gettysburg, PA to the Potomac at the border of Montgomery and Frederick Counties. It was the site of the Battle of Monocacy, a critical battle for the defense of Washington, DC during the Civil War. (Source)
Catoctin: Either means “wooded hill” or “place with many deer.” It refers to Catoctin Mountain and Catoctin Creek. Catoctin Mountain is the first mountain of the Blue Ridge region, and Catoctin Creek flows through Middletown Valley into the Potomac.
Potomac: “Great Trading Place.” The head of the Potomac, at Georgetown, was a vital colonial trade port. Its original spelling was Patowmack, which actually referred to any general trading place. The surrounding tribes referred to the Potomac as “Cohongorooton.” (Source)
Patuxent: “Water rolling over loose stones.” Today, there are 2 drinking water impoundments on the Patuxent, which runs from near the quad-point of Frederick, Montgomery, Carroll, and Howard counties to its mouth on the Chesapeake Bay between St. Mary’s and Calvert counties. The British sailed up it to burn the White House in the War of 1812. (Source)
Patapsco: “Backwater.” The Patapsco forms the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, and the Patapsco River Valley was an industrial hub in the 19th and 20th centuries. (Source)
Wicomico: Derived from two words that, when put together, mean “place where homes are built.” Wicomico County is one of two inland counties on the Eastern Shore. The Wicomico River runs through its county seat, Salisbury. There is also a second Wicomico River in St. Mary’s County that flows into the tidal Potomac.
Piscataway: “Place where the rivers bend.” The Piscataway tribe inhabited most of the Western Shore. Today, it is a creek in Prince George’s County
Pomonkey: “Sloping land.” The Pamunkey are a tribe native to the Virgnia Tidewater region, where a still-active tribe has been state-recognzed since 1658. In Maryland, it is a small town and creek in Charles County. (Source)
Mattawoman: “Where one goes pleasantly.” A 30-mile creek draining into the Potomac in Charles County. It’s popular for fishing, and Smallwood State Park lines its southern bank. (Source)
Chicamuxen: “There lies high ground.” Chicamuxen Wildlife Management area consists of tidal marsh and upland forest. Chicamuxen Creek is located in Charles County. (Source)
Nanjemoy: “Goes downward.” Today, Nanjemoy is a common name in Charles County. (Source)
Chesapeake: “Great Salt Bay” or “Mother Water” or “Shellfish Water.” (Source)
Accokeek: “Rising Ground.” A community in Prince George’s County named after the Accokeek tribe.
Choptank: “Flows back strongly.” The Choptank is the Eastern Shore’s longest river. (Source)
Manokin: “Digs” or “dug out.” The Manokin is a small river on the Eastern Shore in Somerset County (Source)
Seneca: “Great Hill People.” The Seneca were a powerful tribe that joined the Iroquois Confederacy. Their name comes from a spiritual belief that they emerged from a great mountain on Canandaigua Lake in Western New York. I’m unsure if Seneca Creek relates to the Seneca Tribe, which had no history near Maryland, but today the name is well-known in western Montgomery County. (Source)
Nanticoke: “Tidewater People.” The Nanticoke were an Eastern Shore tribe that gave the Nanticoke River its name.
Chicamocomico: Either “Big water dwelling place” or “place of turkeys.” The Chicamocomico and Transquaking Rivers combine near the head of Fishing Bay in remote southern Dorchester County. (Source)
Pocomoke: Either “broken ground” or “blackwater,” in reference to the Pocomoke River’s tea-colored water. (Source)
Quantico: "Long tidal stream” or “dancing place.” Quantico is known for Quanitco Creek in Virginia, but there is also a Quanitco Creek in Wicomico County. (Source)
Rewastico: “Lake of the white deer.” A Nanticoke tribal legend said that a sacred albino deer lived here. When a French hunter killed an albino deer here, a plague hit the Nanticoke tribe. Rewastico Creek and Pond are near the Nanticoke River in Wicomico County. (Source)
Assateague: “Swift water.” The Assateague Tribe gives its name to Assateague Island, a barrier island in the Atlantic off the Eastern Shore, and home to Assateague Island State Park. (source)
Anacostia: “Village Trading Center.” The Anacostia forms from two branches in Bladensburg, then flows through DC to the Potomac. In colonial times, it was a trade route and a critical source of growth for DC. Today, almost the entire river has been channelized or altered in some way, but its Northwest Branch is still home to gorges and waterfalls. (Source)
Nassawango: Either “between land” or “between streams.” Nassawango Creek is a large tributary of the Pocomoke River, draining several surrounding cypress swamps. (Source)
Kittamaqundi: Lake Kittamaqundi was built in 1966 on the Little Patuxent River as part of the planned communities around Columbia in Howard County. Residential developers claimed it meant “meeting place” and that their neighborhood was built on the village of Kittamaqundi, the oldest Native settlement in Howard County. Therefore, it was a fitting name for a community park in the town’s center. However, today we know Kittamaqundi was a Piscataway village in southern Maryland named after a tribal leader named Kittamaquud, which meant “beaver place” or “strong bear.” (Source)
Allegany: Allegany, or Allegheny, means some variation of “the far-off land” and was used specifically to refer to the Allegany River, named by tribes that emigrated to the region from the west. (Source)
Honga: “Goose.” The Honga River is a large estuary separated from the Chesapeake Bay by the Hooper Islands. The southern Dorchester region is a vital stop for bird migrations, especially geese, along the Atlantic Flyway. (Source)
Susquehanna: “Oytser river.” The Susquehannock tribe relied on the river for oysters and other food sources, especially in the Susquehanna Flats around the river’s mouth. The Susquehanna is the longest river on the East Coast. (Source)
Tomakokin: “Beaver striking water.” Tomakokin Creek flows into St. Clement’s Bay, which feeds into the tidal Potomac River. (Source)
Chaptico: “Broad water.” Chaptico was one of the earliest settlements in Maryland, as well as the name of a bay on the Western Shore’s Wicomico River. (Source)
Mattapany or Mattaponi: “Meeting waters.” Although more common in Virginia, where the Mattaponi have a reservation on the river of the same name, Mattapany is sometimes seen in Southern Maryland. (Source)
Piccowaxen: “Broken shoe.” Piccowaxen is the name of a small creek that drains into the Potomac in Charles County. (Source)
Conowingo: “At rapids.” The Conowingo Dam was built at the head of the Susquehanna River. Today, the dam is controversial in efforts to restore the Bay's health.
Matapeake: The community on Kent Island bears the name of a tribe that lived there.
Takoma: “Snow-covered mountain” or “heavenly place.” This may be the most interesting naming scenario in Maryland. Takoma originates from the Salish tribes of Washington state. Mt. Rainer used to be named Mt. Tacoma. Takoma Park took the same name to describe themselves as a heavenly, beautiful place. (Source)
Chicone Creek: “Snow.” Chicone Creek flows into the Nanticoke River upstream of Vienna. (Source)
Cutmaptico Creek: “Big tree creek” flows into the Eastern Shore’s Wicomico River. (Source)
Geanquakin: “High place.” Geanquakin Creek is a small tributary of the Manokin River in Somerset County
Magothy: “Open place.” The Magothy River is a Western Shore tributary of the Bay in Anne Arundel County. (Source).
Mingo: “Treacherous.” The Mingo were a rival tribe of the Susquehannock. Today, Mingo Branch is a small tributary of the Gunpowder River. (Source)
Monie: “Beneath.” Monie Creek feeds into Monie Bay, close to the mouth of the Eastern Shore’s Wicomico River. (Source)
Okahanikan: “As far as the river” or “narrow, winding stream.” Okahanikan Bay is located on the northern end of Bloodsworth Island, an uninhabited marsh off the coast of the Hooper Islands. (Source)
Pokata: “Open and clear.” Pokata Creek meanders through the vast marshes of Fishing Bay Wildlife Management Area in Dorchester County. (Source)
Quirauk: “Gull.” A stretch of South Mountain near the Mason-Dixon Line is sometimes referred to as Quirauk Mountain. It’s the tallest point on the Appalachian Trail in Maryland (2145 ft), and it’s the home of the popular High Rock. (Source)