There may be no place like home, but often there are plenty of places named like it.
Yes, it's a pretty safe bet that there will only be one Toquerville in the world, but other, more common names are used from state to state.In fact, as a computerized listing compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names shows, America's diverse population comes up with a lot of the same names for its communities.
Among the most popular names of the 154,423 cities, towns, villages and subdivisions listed: Midway (appearing 207 times), Fairview (192), Oak Grove (150) and Five Points (145). Other common names are Pleasant Hill, Centerville, Mount Pleasant, Riverside, Bethel and New Hope.
Nearly every one of these names, or a variation of it, can be found on maps of Utah. And, of course, there are names unique to Utah as well.
But just what is in a name, anyway?
"Names are an expression of local values," said historian Jay Haymond. Names may be derived from descriptions of location, an event, a prominent person or something that just plain sounds familiar, he said.
"Uniqueness of names stems from cultural baggage, if you please," he added. Utah in particular has communities and natural features with names from the Book of Mormon, such as the towns Lehi and Nephi, named after father and son leaders. (The Book of Mormon is a book of scripture used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)
American Indians were also instrumental in naming Utah's locales, including such areas as Koosharem (meaning red clover) and Panguitch (meaning water and fish).
Taking a closer look at the origins of these names yields an interesting study of Utah's history, Haymond said, noting that John W. Van Cott's book "Utah Place Names" is a good source.
The book contains stories of towns long gone and others that changed their names to be more appealing. Ever heard of Dry Town? Probably not, because it's now River Heights in Cache County.
Then there's the story of Tonaquint in Washington County, a small 1855 pioneer settlement. Van Cott writes that before dying out, the town was known as Seldom Stop, because it was away from the main line of travel; Never Sweat, because it was hot; and then Lick Skillet, because the people were so poor that is what they did to survive. The original name came from Tonaquint Indians.
Mountains and other natural formations sport such names as Joe and His Dog, a rock formation on the San Rafael Swell said to resemble a man and his pet; Eye of the Needle, on the western slopes of the Wah Wah Mountains; and Ferns Nipple, a small butte presumably named after one of Butch Cassidy's favored girlfriends.
There are also canyon "chairs" for the Devil and Cleopatra, in Weber Canyon and Canyonlands, respectively, should they need a seat. Hurrah Pass, near the Shafer Basin, is so named because "it was worth a hurrah to reach the summit of the pass," Van Cott said.
Some of Utah's unusual names also have unique pronunciations, such as Tooele, Mantua, Hurricane and Hooper.
Van Cott said other names come from "tongue-in-cheekers." Levan, in Juab County, is supposedly a reverse of "navel," because it is located in the middle of the state.
Utah even had a Not Zion, now a ghost town in Zion National Park. Isaac Behunin lived in the community in the 1860s and began calling it Zion. But when Brigham Young visited in 1870, he suggested the area "was not Zion." The name stuck.
The U.S. Geological Survey compilation of the country's place names does not contain information about their origins, said cartographer Barry Napier, but he said it is still a highly useful way of keeping track of communities. Nearly 2 million streams, lakes, mountains and swamps are also included. The listing will be available on CD-ROM.