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In the late 1800s, the United States Board on Geographic Names, with President Benjamin Harrison's approval, imposed naming rules that stripped many cities and towns of their distinctive identities. One such rule, established in 1891, dictated the standardization of town names.
1. “For names ending in ‘burgh,’ the final ‘h’ must be removed.”
Despite over a century of using the 'h,' with newspapers, sports teams, and landmarks proudly displaying it, Pittsburgh refused to accept the change to 'Pittsburg' without a fight. The city, named in honor of William Pitt the Elder and christened by General John Forbes, carried a Scottish influence evident in its spelling, reminiscent of Edinburgh. Altering it to the German 'burg' felt like erasing its heritage. After two decades of persistent protests, the Board reversed its decision on July 19, 1911, restoring the 'h.' City officials celebrated the victory with a touch of wit.
Hon. George T. Oliver, United States Senate: Sir: During a special session on July 19, 1911, the United States Geographic Board revisited its earlier ruling on the spelling of Pittsburgh, ultimately deciding to reinstate the final H. The official form is now as follows: Pittsburgh, a city in Pennsylvania (not Pittsburg). Respectfully submitted, C. S. SLOAN, Secretary.
Pittsburgh isn’t alone in its fight for an H. In 2006, residents of Alburg, Vermont, voted to revert their town’s name to its original spelling, “Alburgh,” which had been altered since the 1891 Board decision.
2. “The possessive form should be avoided unless it disrupts the name’s harmony or alters its descriptive meaning.”
This rule explains names like Downers Grove, Pikes Peak, and Harpers Ferry. As of May 2013, the Committee has sanctioned only five official possessive apostrophes nationwide: Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.; Ike’s Point, N.J.; John E’s Pond, R.I.; Carlos Elmer’s Joshua View, Ariz.; and Clark’s Mountain, Ore. Notably, Martha’s Vineyard fought for 30 years to reclaim its possessive, finally succeeding in 1933.
3. “Names ending in ‘borough’ should be shortened to ‘boro.’”
Middlesboro, Kentucky, a small town of roughly 10,000 residents near the Cumberland Gap, saw its “ugh” disappear due to this regulation. Similarly, Marlborough, Massachusetts, named after an English town, also lost its extra letters. The Massachusetts community deeply felt this loss and campaigned vigorously to restore the original spelling.
4. "The term 'center,' when used in a name, must be spelled as shown and not as 'centre.'"
Only two locations in the U.S. have successfully bypassed this rule: Centre, Alabama, and Centre County, Pennsylvania.
5. "Hyphens should no longer be used to connect parts of names."
A handful of hyphenated names still survive today, such as Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania; and Milton-Freewater, Oregon. However, names like Ne-Ha-Sa-Ne Park, New York, were erased under the 1891 rule, replaced simply by "Nehasane."
Image: USPS
6. "For names comprising multiple words, it is preferable to merge them into a single word."
This rule didn’t gain as much traction as the restrictions on hyphens and possessive apostrophes, but efforts were made. In 1894, numerous cities with two-part names, such as Olive Bridge, New York, were condensed into single words like Olivebridge.
7. "The use of diacritic marks in names should be avoided."
Diacritic characters include accented letters like “á” or glyphs such as “ö.” San Jose may have been affected by the 1891 standardization of city spellings. Originally established as “El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe” in 1777, the lengthy name was impractical for postal use. While it’s unclear if the Board on Geographic Names influenced the change, the spelling evolved into “San Jose” over time. Since 1979, the city has adopted “San José” for its seal and official documents, though “San Jose” remains the official name in the city charter.
8. "The inclusion of 'city' or 'town' in names should be avoided where possible."
This rule clearly didn’t apply to places like Oklahoma City, Kansas City, Atlantic City, New York City, Iowa City, and Salt Lake City.
Primary photo—taken from an 1892 map of Pennsylvania—courtesy of MapsofPA.
