Classical/Biblical
Memphis
Tennessee (TN)est. 1819pop. 618,639/MEM-fis/
The meaning
“Enduring and beautiful (from Men-nefer)”
How it got the name
Andrew Jackson and his partners named their bluff-top river town after the capital of ancient Egypt, drawing an explicit parallel between the Mississippi and the Nile. The Egyptian original, Men-nefer, meant 'enduring and beautiful.' The nearby town of Cairo, Illinois, doubles down on the same conceit.