It’s everywhere.
Here’s a map of the most popular places names for countries across Europe:
And it makes for some interesting* reading.
In the UK, it’s Sutton. Sutton means “One from the Southern Homestead”, and aside from the main Sutton just south of London, there are 12 others. But a total of 13 is nothing.
Numbers
43 Steinbachs in Germany.
97 Ivanivkas in Ukraine.
101 Oktyabrsklys in Russia (it means October).
And an incredible 155 Yeniköys in Turkiye.
Good luck with finding the right one on Google Maps. Or indeed, any map.
New Villages
Yeniköy translates as “New Village”, and a quick scoot across Eastern Europe will reveal that everything there seems to be a “New Village”. It’s the most popular place name in 8 other countries as well as Turkiye:
Novo Selo (HR), Satu Nou (RO), Nova Ves (CZ), Nowa Vies (PL), Nova Selo (BiH), Nova Selle (RKS), Novo Selo (SRB) and Neo Chori (GR)
Honourable mentions:
– 5 Castletowns in Ireland (1 in the Isle of Man, too). Literally a town with a castle in each case. No imagination whatsoever.
– 2 places called Nes in the Faroe Islands. They’re about as big as a postage stamp! How do you manage to get 2 places with the same name somewhere that small? Why risk any confusion? It’s no wonder there are so many missed dates there:
She said she’d meet me in the pub in Nes at 7pm.
But she never turned up.
– Loads of mountain-based stuff: 3 Monts in Belgium, 4 Bergs in Sweden, 3 Szolohegys in Hungary.
– 8 Nogueiras in Portugal. All in the far north, because it means “Walnut Tree” and that’s where the walnut trees grow. AND… Orahovo (x3) is the most popular place name in Montenegro. It also means “Walnut Tree” and check out the latitudes of those two places.
You couldn’t make it up. And I didn’t.
– Loads of Saints in Spain, France, Cyprus and Italy. Catholics, ne?
– 3 Erpeldanges in Luxembourg. No idea what it means, but it’s a lovely word, almost certainly made up by Roald Dahl.
I’m now ready for whenever this info comes up in a quiz, but sadly, I also have this very strange feeling that it almost certainly won’t.
* T&Cs apply