ToponymicaUS City Name Origins
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Indigenous

Spokane

Washington (WA)est. 1881pop. 229,447/spoh-KAN/

The meaning

“Children of the sun”

How it got the name

The Spokane people's name is usually translated 'children of the sun' or 'sun people.' The city dropped a trailing letter and gained a silent-e spelling that misleads nearly every first-time visitor into saying 'spoh-KANE.'

Former names

  1. Spokane Falls
  2. Spokane