Indigenous
Milwaukee
Wisconsin (WI)est. 1846pop. 561,385/mil-WAW-kee/
The meaning
“Good land / gathering place by the water”
How it got the name
Recorded in dozens of spellings — Milwacky, Milwaukie, Melleoke — the name descends from an Algonquian term generally read as 'good land' or 'pleasant land.' The modern spelling was fixed by a newspaper compositor's preference more than by any linguistic authority.
Disputed / alternate theory
Some readings render the root as 'gathering place by the waters,' referencing the meeting of the Milwaukee, Menomonee and Kinnickinnic rivers.
Former names
- Juneautown
- Kilbourntown
- Walker's Point
- Milwaukee