Names usually express something about both the one who names and the one or thing that is named. Naming is an old tradition that tribes in ancient times used to celebrate with specific kinds of food. Africans, for example, had the weirdest food tradition you can think of. They were preparing rice and all the attendants start eating using only their hands; the baby is unfortunate not because of sharing the meal with the attendants, but because he/she is dipped in the rice pan and then thoroughly anointed with it. Well, you do not have to anoint anybody but you will agree that names are indicative of some characteristics.
What about city names? They are no exception. You can delve deep into the topic from a literary point of view and read Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel called ‘Namesake’ and ‘Apex Hides the Hurt’ by Colson Whitehead. The first deals with names of people and how they may express color and all the historical traits that people have, while the second is more focused on naming cities. From Whitehead, you will realize that a name of a town is not given arbitrarily as there are always commercial, economic or personal benefits that go for some people. How things go with us? Let us see and enjoy what you are going to read in the following list of the top 10 weirdest city names in the world.
10 Condom, France
In France, Condom is also known as Condom-en-Armagnac. It is located on the Via Podiensis and is known for its two castles which are the Château de Pouypardin and the Château de Mothes that are known to be the major tourist attractions there. Apart from the location, the name of the town and the meaning of the town’s name in English are not associated with each other. This is because the town’s name is derived from the words ‘condate-ó-magos’ or ‘condatómagos’ and this means “the market of the confluence”. The name evolved over time and changed to be “Conddóm” that is like the word ‘condom’ in English.
9 Pussy, France
It is a small village that is located in La Léchère, France and the name is originally Roman as it is derived from the word ‘Pussius’ that is a Roman personal name, the name of the village’s owner during the Roman era. In addition to the traditional and common meaning of the word Pussy in English, it is also used by young children to refer to cats in different languages and countries around the world.
8 Hell, Norway
Hell is one of the villages that are located in Norway and its population is estimated to be approximately 1,440 people. The village is a post town and this is why it has two post codes. It features a retirement home, grocery store and gas station. The village’s name has made it a minor tourist attraction and this name comes from the word ‘hellir’ which is an Old Norse word and means ‘overhang’ or ‘cliff cave’. The strangest thing about this village is although it is called “Hell”, it is considered to be one of the coldest places on earth since the temperatures in this village during winter can reach −25 °C (−13 °F).
7 Dildo, Canada
The town is situated on the island of Newfoundland in Canada. It was given this name in 1711 and the origin of this name is still unknown to this day. Although this name is responsible for making the town famous, there were several campaigns that called for changing this name for being offensive but all of them unfortunately failed.
6 Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, United Kingdom
A large village that is located on the Island of Anglesey, Wales, United Kingdom is called Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch to be the longest place name in the United Kingdom. The village is also referred to as Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, Llanfair PG and Llanfairpwll. The name of the village is ranked as the longest place name in Europe and the 2nd longest official one-word place name in the whole world. The main reason behind inventing this name in 1860s of 58 characters is purely promotional.
5 Pee Pee Township, United States
Pee Pee is a township that is situated in Ohio, United States. It has a total population of about 7,776 people. The name of the township is derived from a creek’s name that is called Pee Pee Creek. One of the early settlers engraved his initials P. P. on a tree along the banks of the creek and this is why it is named Pee Pee Creek.
The village is located in Pennsylvania, United States and its name is considered to be one of the weirdest names in the world. The word ‘intercourse’ was used during the early days of the village for referring to social interaction and describing fellowship. The village’s name and its location in Amish country make it one of the popular sites for tourists. It was used as a good location for filming movies such as “Witness”. The signs of the town are usually stolen by thieves due to the unusual name that appears on the signs.
3 Truth or Consequences, United States
It is a spa city that is located in New Mexico, United States and is commonly referred to by the initials as “T or C”. The original name of the city is Hot Springs, but this name was changed after that in 1950 to be Truth or Consequences, but why? It is for the sake of airing a program. The city changed its name to win the honor of hosting ‘Truth or Consequences’ which is a radio quiz show.
Kilmore is also written as ‘Killmore’ and it is located in County Wexford, Ireland. The name of the village is not used to encourage the residents or even the visitors to kill more as it may seem. The name is of Irish origin as it comes from the word Chill Mhór which means ‘the big church’. This means that there is no relation between the village’s name and the meaning of the name. There is also another town in Ireland having the same name and it is called Kilmore Quay.
In Austria, the town was named ‘Fucking’ in the eleventh century and it is thought that a man named Focko, the founder of the village, was the one who named it after him. The village is not populous as it has a total population of just 104 people, but its unique name makes it widely known for many people all over the world especially in the English-speaking countries. The village’s road signs have become popular tourist attractions for all of those who visit the village to the extent that visitors from around the world prefer to be photographed beside these signs.
We are not sure whether Focko knew English or not, but we know that this word was not a slang word at that time for sure. However, the word ‘fucking’ means “Focko’s people” in the German language. What is more interesting than all of this is that the village’s road signs are frequently stolen by the tourists as a souvenir.
