People named after places. Place names in the USA And Worldwide Named after Famous Or Given People

 How many places you have visited have their names given to famous people?

I remember as a schoolchild learning that Florence Nightingale was named after the Italian city of Florence. I recently wondered why Americans use Madison as a first name. Then I realised that Madison Avenue is a well known and prestigious street in New York.

I did a mental search and came up with these results.

Americans named after cities or with the same name as cities

Paris Hilton and Paris Jackson are both named after Paris, France. 

Two actors with the first name Austin have the same name as Austin, Texas.

Actor Phoenix Joaquin is named after Phoenix, Arizona.

Symbols of Phoenix and Arizona include Camelback Mountainn, the art walk, and the giant Saguaro cactus whose upwards pointing fingers are sold as green souvenir salt and pepper shakers.

Temu has a cactus pattern tee-shirt if you want to buy one online.

Other city names used by American actors, stars, singers and writers include Orlando as in Orlando, Florida and Brooklyn after the area of New York in the USA. London, after London England Kingston, after Kingston in Jamaica, Sydney, after Sydney, Australia, Savannah, from Savannah, USA,  

American cities named after famous people.

Columbus. 

For example, Columbus Ohio. Christopher Columbus.

If you want to do a search, the technical word for naming a person after a place is a toponym. Nym means name from the Greek for name or word.

Then I did a Gemini search and received these satisfying detailed results.

Many cities, states, counties, and landmarks across the United States are named after historic figures, military leaders, and world leaders.

U.S. States

• Washington: Named after George Washington, the first U.S. President.

• Louisiana: Named after King Louis XIV of France.

• Maryland: Named after Queen Henrietta Maria of England.

• Virginia & West Virginia: Named in honor of Queen Elizabeth I of England (known as the "Virgin Queen").

• North & South Carolina: Named after King Charles I of England (Carolus in Latin).

• Georgia: Named after King George II of Great Britain.

• Pennsylvania: Named in honor of Admiral William Penn (father of founder William Penn).

• New York: Named after James, Duke of York (later King James II of England).

• Major Cities

  • Washington, D.C.: Named after George Washington (and Christopher Columbus for the District of Columbia).

  • Houston, Texas: Named after Sam Houston, president of the Republic of Texas and military general.

  • Austin, Texas: Named after Stephen F. Austin, known as the "Father of Texas."

  • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Named after British statesman William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham.

  • Louisville, Kentucky: Named after King Louis XVI of France for French support during the American Revolution.

  • St. Louis, Missouri: Named after King Louis IX of France (Saint Louis).

  • Cleveland, Ohio: Named after Revolutionary War General Moses Cleaveland.

  • Lincoln, Nebraska: Named after Abraham Lincoln, 16th U.S. President.

  • Columbus, Ohio: Named after explorer Christopher Columbus.

  • Jacksonville, Florida: Named after Andrew Jackson, seventh U.S. President and first military governor of Florida.

  • Counties & Regional Places

    • Jefferson County / City: Named after Thomas Jefferson (Jefferson County is the single most common county name in the U.S., spanning 26 states).

    • Franklin County / Cities: Named after Founding Father Benjamin Franklin (appearing in 25 states, alongside dozens of towns named Franklin).

    • Pulaski County: Named after Polish military commander Kazimierz Pulaski, who fought in the American Revolutionary War (appearing across 7 states).

    • Lafayette / Fayetteville: Cities across numerous states named after the Marquis de Lafayette, French hero of the American Revolutionary War.

    ---

    Famous Landmarks & Structures

    • Pikes Peak (Colorado): Named after explorer Zebulon Pike.

    • Mt. McKinley (Alaska, historically): Named after President William McKinley (officially renamed Denali in 2015).

    • Hoover Dam (Nevada/Arizona): Named after 31st U.S. President Herbert Hoover.

    • John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK - NYC): Renamed in 1963 to honor President John F. Kennedy.

    • Lincoln Memorial / Washington Monument (D.C.): Iconic monuments dedicated to Presidents Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.

How many more do you know? Please contact me through comments. 

-ends-

This post will be updated later today and in the future.

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Florence Nightingale's statue in London

 

Florence Nightingale statue in Waterloo Place, London. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Just down the road from Piccadilly.

Useful Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Nightingale

Where to see statues of famous ladies: Anne Frank, Margaret Thatcher, Amy Winehouse and more famous ladies

Margaret Thatcher statue in Palace of Westminster, London SW1, England, UK

Statue of Margaret Thatcher, P.M. Guildhall, London, England, UK. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

As  a tourist, I love statues. They honour famous people. They are easy to find in public places. They make good photos. You can usually see them for free. Any time, day or night. No need to worry about opening times.

 Debate is ongoing regarding a proposed statue of Margaret Thatcher in Grantham, her birthplace in England. The UK already has a statue of her in the palace of Westminster (houses of parliament). The USA has another one.

Who else has been honoured by a statue? Here's a list, alphabetically by name:

Anne Frank.

Outside Anne Frank House, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Helen Keller.

USA

Margaret Thatcher

Hillsdale College, USA.

Florence Nightingale.

London, UK

Amy Winehouse

Camden, London, UK

Here they are by country:

UK

Florence Nightingale

Mary Seacole

Margaret Thatcher

Amy Winehouse

USA

Margaret Thatcher

Hillsdale College, Hillsdale County, Michigan, USA

Netherlands

Anne Frank, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Useful Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Margaret_Thatcher_(Palace_of_Westminster)

es.co.uk/edition/comment/protests-against-a-thatcher-statue-are-prejudiced-and-petty-

(I wrote - post being written - saved so it doesn't disappear. Come back shortly for more.

Update in October 2026. In May 2022 the statue was placed on St Peter's Hill Green, in Granham, Lincolnshire near the Grantham Museum, and a statue of Sir Isaac Newton.)

About the Author

Angela Lansbury is a travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, fashionista. Please share links to your favourite posts or one or more of the blogs

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

Why Can't I travel and Visit Restaurants? Covid-19 - Contagion, Infection, Quarantine and Social Distancing

Social Distancing In Singapore


Sign 'Maximum Occupancy 5 People' at outdoor bench table in Singapore, at private condo. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Contagion and Infection
Contagious means you catch it by touch. Infectious means you catch it from people nearby who are breathing it over you - airborne.

Contagion has been known for years. I used to think it was weird when I went to a wedding or looked online and saw that Orthdox Jewish men, dancing at a wedding, danced with a handkerchief separating one person's hand from the next person's. Now I can see that it had a practical purpose of separating people by both distance and touch. Two arms' length plus a handkerchief in between was social distancing whilst symbolically linking.


Infection
Similarly, Florence Nightingale separated beds in hospitals so that each person was not touching or breathing over the person alongside.

Quarantine
As for not travelling, that was known too. The village of Eyam in Derbyshire, England, cut itself off from the outside world.

Troops arriving in Africa and travelling south unwittingly unwittingly carried the 1918 Flu south to South Africa. My grandmother's brother, living in South Africa, newly married, was in bed with flu upstairs. He ran downstairs to answer a phone call from his sister. He caollapsed, dropped dead. My mother told me this story many times,emphasixing that you must have a phone by the bed so you don't have to jump up to answer it if you are ill.

So much for the history. What about modern times and the latest research. Just look at the coutnries claiming to have low figures and see what they are doing. compare with countries which admit to high figures and see what they are doing.

Better safe than sorry.

Some people are sorry, too late. 

Australia
The Daily mail online reported mask mandartoty in Melbourne from Wendesday (July 22 2020)

This is my opinion, my summary. I suggest that you go to government sources and scientific reports to get the full picture.

Useful Websites
Hasidic mitzvah tantz - unfortunately no photos
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitzvah_tantz
Eyam plague village quarantined - short summary of history plus and visitor's guide
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Eyam#Q1385667
Timelines of mask introduction in Australia
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-8543011/Studio-10s-Kerri-Anne-Kennerley-reveals-TERRIFYING-face-mask.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ico=taboola_feed

Two for one offers with train tickets to London

Here's a handy offer. Travel to London on GWR (Great Western Railway) from as far away as Fishguard in Wales, and book two for the price of one tickets to London attractions.

Such as? Houses, palaces, museums, sport and recreation, wining and dining, theatre and shows, tours and walks.

If you are a new tourist to London, they have included all the classics you will want to visit, such as Madame Tussaud's, The Eye (big wheel), famous people such as Dr Johnson, Samuel Johnson who compiled the dictionary, Florence Nightingale, the nurse nicknamed The Lady with the Lamp, who founded modern nursing.

If you have already done London, or live in London, you will still be interested to read the brochure full of new and surprising attractions, such as, Red Arrows 3D flight simulator,Legend of Apollo, at the Science Museum, based on the lunar landings in the 1960s and 1970s.

Something for the oldest and youngest.

Useful Websites:
See GWR offers More London for less with 2FOR1 offers
railcard.co.uk
daysoutguide.co.uk
GWR.com/enews
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Johnson

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Statues of Women to Photograph in London and England

Amy Winehouse statue, Camden, London, England.

When I was a schoolchild I was puzzled by the idea of a flawed hero, such as Shakespeare's King Lear; when I was a young adult I was puzzled by the idea that as a successful author I had to create a flawed hero of a novel, who had to have a weak point. Why was this necessary? Why was it considered realistic?

After investigating the lives of heroes for a book of quotations, and some people for speeches, I was struck by how many heroes and heroines had been affected by:

Setbacks Before Success
1 The loss of next of kin (such as a parent, spouse, child, beloved grandparent, colleague). Even newspaper articles about successful singers, comedians, authors, actors and pop stars, often add harrowing tales, despite their youth. To give a few examples, Abraham Lincoln lost next of kin and failed in government.

2 Financial or career setbacks. Millionaires frequently have terrible setbacks, losing money at the start, or rising to success and then losing everything.

3 Poor health or death from nasty events. (Pop stars such as Amy Winehouse, dying from drugs and drink whether suicide or accidental; horrific car accidents; or deaths from disease, real or suspected - such as Disraeli, Hitler, and did Mrs Beeton die from complications from childhood or from something caught from her husband? See her biographies.)

Now I look at the life stories of many musicians and artists. The painter Van Gogh who cut off his own ear was, in simple, frank, colloquial language, simply nuts. Artists lived with misfortunes inflicted from outside or self-inflicted and mixed with and painted people you might not wish to meet in real life. Toulouse Lautrec was injured as a child, stunted, and painted women who were prostitutes. (Most respectable women would not pose for nude photos.)

In modern times Olympic heroes lose their status after it is found that they took drugs. Rolf Harris has lost his place. We are quick to knock down statues of modern dictators. Yet we are horrified that vandals destroyed the noses of Roman statues and ancient Egyptian rules destroyed their predecessors works.

Where am I going with this? How is it relevant to the statues of women? I was reading about the controversy concerning the statue of Mary Wollenstonecraft.

Mary Wollenstonecraft and Mary Shelley
She was an unmarried mother. She inspired feminists. Her daughter was equally famous Mary Shelley.

Byron
Our heroes such as the poet Byron were equally flawed characters. Yet we allow their contribution to literature or politics to over-rise our displeasure or controversy over their personal lives.

Boadicea
My first female statue in London would be Boadicea. She was controversial. If you believe she existed, that she mutilated her body, that she and / or her followers committed suicide rather than be captured (again) by Romans.

Most of historical figures are pretty controversial. As a tourist, enjoy the list of statues might add to your souvenirs, your record of your visit or tour around London and the UK:

Beeton
Why is there no statue of Mrs Beeton in Hatch End? Somebody please start a campaign. Every time you read a recipe with the list of ingredients at the start you are benefitting from the system and pattern which she established.

Top Ten Statues
Top ten statues or monuments, plaques or markers of women in London and England
1 Boadicea (fought the Romans)
2 Mary S e a c o l e (Crimean war, see my previous post)
3 Queen Victoria (statues worldwide). See portraits of royals in the National Portrait Gallery.
4 Edith Cavell, nurse executed in WWI, by national Portrait Gallery and National Gallery, near Trafalgar Square
5 Florence Nightingale, Crimean war nurse, lady with the lamp, outside St Thomas's Hospital, looking across the Thames river to Parliament
6 Violette Szabo, Albert Embankment, SEI (WWII heroine, spy, see film about her)
7 Amy Winehouse (singer songwriter, Stables Market, Camden, London)
8 Emmeline Pankhurst, Millbank, SW1
9 Anne Frank memorial in London's Hyde Park (house and statue in The Netherlands)
10 Princess Diana (Fountain)

Plaques in London
1 Mrs Beeton plaque in Hatch End

Statues Outside London
Jane Austen statue in Bath

Homes of Famous Women
1 Anne Hathaway's Cottage, Stratford upon Avon
2 Beatrix Potter, Lake District
3 Haworth Parsonage, Yorkshire (The Bronte sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne - also see their portrait in the National Portrait Gallery)

Tuesday 18 October, ITV programme , 10.40 pm, In the Shadow of Mary S e a c o l e
She was featured in a Google headline.

Many other women are commemorated with names and institutions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Amy_Winehouse
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/mary-wollstonecraft-frontrunner-of-feminism-may-get-a-statue-at-last-a6914626.html

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Mary Seacole Statue and Florence Nightingale Outside St Thomas's Hospital, London

Mary Seacole statue

The Mary S e a c o l e statue was placed outside St Thomas's Hospital in London in June 2016. Another statue to see in London.

(I have had to insert spaces in her surname because the autocorrect wants to change the word to Seattle.)

The statue is an impressive size, ten foot high. I read about the controversy and my own emotions went through this sequence.

1 Hurray - another statue. A new person. A new part of history.
2 Any connection with me? She is a woman.
3 She is black. I am not. But we don't have many black people. Why not.
4 Position of the statue - a rival to Florence Nightingale? Facing Parliament? Well, Trafalgar Square has Nelson and parliament square area has lots of statues - I don't think that the statue of Canning detracts from the state of Churchill. I feel that people who go to see the statue of Mary S e a c o l e will also see the statue of Florence Nightingale.
5 Why put the statue outside a hospital if she was not a nurse? If lots of nurses are black they might appreciate seeing a black woman who did nursing, and learning that she was not trained, they might appreciate how lucky they are to get training.

Purely from the point of view of a tourist and a photographer, the more statues and landmarks on London, the better.

When I went to the USA, I discovered Clara Barton, and no mention of Florence Nightingale. In England we learned about Florence Nightingale, with no mention of Clara Barton. I am all for celebrating heroes and heroines. As for villains, not celebrating people for only villainy. Unfortunately villains have an important place in history and many people declined when in power. Let us celebrate the good done by those who did good. If two wrongs don't make a right, two rights don't make a wrong.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/florence-vs-mary-the-big-nurse-off-a7100676.html

US Civil War Cemetery Records and Water and Clara Barton

What caused the high number of deaths amongst captive soldiers in a US civil war camp?

The laws in the bible covered the basics of where to site your toilets, down stream of where you camped, so that sewage and used washing water did not contaminate drinking water. When I went to the USA I visited a Civil War camp memorial and cemetery.

I was struck by the way Clara Barton (the US equivalent of England's Florence Nightingale) had brought order to recording the burial sites so that families knew for certain who had died and where. Definite information enabled them to stop searching and hoping their relatives were alive. The widows and children could mourn and move on emotionally.

Importantly, they would also have the legal right to inherit and remarry. (In modern times the case of missing Lord Lucan has affected the right of the son to inherit the father's title and property.)

You can visit the Clara Barton birthplace museum and buy a book about her.

Clara Barton also involved in fund raising and distributing relief for the people of Galveston, the island off the south coast of Texas. Many people from he East End of London landed here in the South, instead of New York, under the encouragement of the writer Israel Zangwill, author of Children of the ghetto, called the Jewish Mark Twain).

http://clarabartonbirthplace.org/site/?q=node/14

Angela Lansbury, travel writer, researcher, author, speaker.

London Statues - New Statue of Gandhi in Parliament Square, London - photographing statues worldwide

A new statue of Gandhi is in Parliament Square, London. It is nine feet tall. To photograph yourself next to it, somebody else needs to take the photo from some distance away.

I like to be photographed next to statues when travelling. If you had no other plans for a themed trip to London, you could travel around photographing statues and yourself next to statues. One of my favourites is Oscar Wilde reclining.

I also photograph statues in countries I am visiting. They tell local and national history.

You could also collect photos of statues just in London or worldwide on a theme, such as political figures, royals, religious, philanthropic, WWII, statues and monuments in cemeteries, theatres, hotels and clubs.

Political Figures
In London: Politics: Gandhi and Churchill.
In London: royals, Kings and Queens (including the memorial to Princess Diana, the gates for the Queen Mother).
Victoria & Albert: Worldwide - start in London if you are in London, including the Albert memorial and the Albert Hall in London, statues of Queen Victoria .
Religious leaders: I made a special trip to the museum in East London for Methodist Wesley and took a picture of his statue.
Theatrical: statues of actors outside theatres, often on provincial theatres, worldwide, also opera houses and concert halls show

For a school project or talk to a history society, you could photograph characters from each century, or each decade.

Museums are a good source of statues and busts. Sometimes you need permission to photograph a statue inside a museum, and you need to be there during opening hours. But those outside buildings in the UK are generally OK to photograph and you can visit them any time of day or night. With photoshop and iPhoto nowadays even a photo taken in poor light can be adjusted later.

Silhouette Statues
In late evening, if you cannot get detail, you can aim for a silhouette of the statue against a lighter sky. I once took a day trip on a ferry from England to France, part sponsored by Polaroid cameras. I won a competition for a photo with a contra-jour picture of a statue at the French port silhouetted against the white sky.

Animals
Cats, dogs, horses and animals. My favourites are; in London - Dick Whittington's Cat in Highgate. In the USA - the horse of the Civil War leader. I seem to remember a statue of a donkey or horse in Australia, at a museum about the Great War (WWI). It was either Canberra or Sydney.

Benefactors
Benefactors and campaigners who benefited human rights (Eros for Lord Shaftesbury - interesting story. George Lansbury in London's East End who worked for the seamstresses).

WWI - with the centenaries, lots of opportunities. A project for schools or local or national newspapers or blogs for Armistice Day, and the other celebrations worldwide, Anzac Day, VE Day.
You could collect pictures from the internet, such as Wikipedia, and then gradually visit them on your holidays or business trips overseas.

Long ago I bought a book on statues of London. With Lulu.com and other printers on line, you could make a book of your travel photos, featuring statues of yourself with statues. I try to take the statue alone, and another showing myself next to it. Some publications like to see the author, others prefer the statue without clutter or anything which dates the photo. Adding a person can give a humorous effect. Tall statue with tiny toddler or dog. This might look silly or disrespectful, or could be a winning humorous picture.

I like to photograph inscriptions on all four (or more) sides of a statue or monument. It helps when writing captions later. You can check the spelling of the name or a person or place, and the dates they lived or the battle they fought in. The inscription also often includes a quotation or eulogy (praise).

My favourite London statues:
Oscar Wilde.
Kissing couple on Paddington station upper level.
Brunel on London station.
Australian mapmaker on Euston station.
Florence Nightingale, outside hospital.
Sigmund Freud, near his home in London.
Karl Marx, Highgate Cemetery.
Shakespeare bust (in a church).

Churches and cathedrals are a great source of statues. Starting with Poets Corner in London, you could then do a literary trail around Britain.

My favourite memorable statues Worldwide:
1 Einstein, USA.
2 Sassoon, India.
3 Captain Cook, Australia.
4 Raffles in Raffles Hotel, Singapore.
5 Charlie Chaplin, London. (Another in Switzerland.)
6 Sherlock Holmes outside Baker Street Station, London.
7 Queen Victoria - everywhere, the latest I've seen was in Malta's capital, Valletta. Others are in Singapore, Australia, New Zealand.
8 Al Jolson, cemetery in the USA.
9 Disraeli in his area near Tring.
10 Monash, WWI leader, in Australia, with the university named after him in Melbourne. I saw an equestrian statue in a main road and a bust in the uni.

My favourite London station statues:
1 Sherlock Holmes, Baker Street
2 Brunel, Paddington Station
3 The mapmaker and cat, Euston
4 The artist, Waterloo

Most photographed in London?
Probably Eros in Piccadilly and Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square.

Other world famous monuments include:
The Burghers of Calais, France.
Iwo Jima (same flag raising theme copied in a monument in Malaysia).
Chopin in Warsaw, Poland.
Lincoln in Washington DC.
Four Presidents cut into hillside in the USA.

If you want to add guitarists and guitars, and rock stars and singers, think of Elvis in the USA, John Lennon in Liverpool airport, music museums in the USA and Australasia, and halls of fame all over the USA.

I also look for quotations. My favourites are:
For your tomorrow they gave their today. (Kohima monument in Latin, variously translated on monuments worldwide. You find quotations and local characters and Greek and Roman Gods and mythological characters on all sorts of building, including friezes around the exteriors of art galleries and the exteriors and interiors of shopping malls. St George's shopping mall in Harrow, interior. Lakeside shopping Mall.

Angela Lansbury BA Hons is a travel writer, photographer and speaker.