Geographic/Botanical
Buffalo
New York (NY)est. 1789pop. 276,807/BUF-uh-loh/
The meaning
“Disputed: 'beautiful river' (beau fleuve) or the animal”
How it got the name
Bison were not native to western New York in any numbers, which makes the animal explanation awkward. The popular alternative is that French speakers called the waterway beau fleuve — 'beautiful river' — and English ears reshaped it. Neither theory has clean documentary support, and the debate has run for two centuries.
Disputed / alternate theory
Some historians argue a Seneca personal name or a stray bison herd genuinely lies behind Buffalo Creek.
Former names
- New Amsterdam (Holland Land Company plan)
- Buffalo