Call me juvenile, but I’ve always been deeply amused by the world’s funniest place names. Without them, I would get almost no laughs as I leaf through the atlas.
Some of them are inappropriate, some of them are just bizarre, but they’ll all give you a bit of a chuckle. (Assuming, like me, you’re mentally still in junior high).
So just for kicks, let’s take a gander at the weirdest and funniest place names in the world.
45. Big Butt Mountain
North Carolina, USA
We begin our list of funniest place names at the bottom, so to speak.
There’s actually not one but five separate mountains in North Carolina named ‘Big Butt’. (‘Butt’ is a misspelling of ‘butte’ that no one has been able to wipe off).
Ranging in height from 4,700 to more than 6,000 feet, these peaks definitely offer plenty of cushion.
We’re assuming Sir Mix-a-Lot owns a cottage somewhere in the area.
44. Boogertown
North Carolina, USA
If we had to pick one destination on this list of funniest place names, Boogertown would be it.
Making it two in a row for North Carolina, this village was apparently named by moonshiners who claimed that a boogeyman lived in the nearby forests.
Laugh if you must, but local legends are nothing to thumb your nose at.
43. Dicktown
Gloucester Township, New Jersey
I thought every town in New Jersey was Dicktown.
I’m going to assume this city was founded by some poor soul named Richard whose friends gave him an unfortunate nickname and who doesn’t appreciate us living folks laughing at his legacy.
42. Embarrass
Saint Louis County, Minnesota
There are only 30 residents of this unincorporated township, so the shame quota per capita must be unbearable.
On top of being Embarrassed every time someone asks where they live, these poor people are also freezing cold.
Embarrass is the chilliest place in Minnesota, with an average annual temperature of just 34.5 °F.
41. Good Grief
Boundary County, Idaho
On the variety show Hee Haw, Good Grief was once described as having a population of three: “two dogs and one old grouch”.
In fact, it’s much more than that. The population consists of one dog with an overactive imagination, his trusty bird companion, and a small balding child in a yellow sweater who can’t kick a football to save his life.
Shout out to Charles Schulz for singlehandedly making this one of the world’s funniest place names.
40. Disappointment Islands
Tuamotu, French Polynesia
Finally a vacation destination that underpromises and overdelivers.
Actually, they probably underpromise and underdeliver. The remote and arid Disappointment Islands are barely fit for human habitation, so if you take the trouble to visit you’ll likely wind up both disappointed and dead.
Still, we’d like to see the tourism pamphlets.
39. Half.com
Halfway, Oregon
Technically, this should rank among the former funniest place names, but it’s weird enough that we’re running with it.
In 1998, the city of Halfway, Oregon sold its naming rights.
As a result, for one year, it became Half.com, Oregon. The price? $100,000 and 20 new computers for its schools.
It’s always a healthy sign when your city sells its naming rights in order to get school supplies.
38. Idiotville
Tillamook County, Oregon
Let’s stay in Oregon for a ‘funniest place names’ double-whammy.
Idiotville was originally a logging camp. It earned its name because it was so far from civilization that “only an idiot would work there”.
Today, Idiotville is a ghost town as the residents likely got tired of the put-downs. Now, instead of concentrating the idiots, we seem to have one on every street corner.
37. Point No Point
Washington, USA
The most existentialist place on the list, Point No Point delightfully gives up on itself (and life) halfway through its own name. We could tell you about the lighthouse or the Point No Point Treaty that was signed here, but… Well, we’re all going to die anyway, so who really cares?
Let’s just quietly despair.
36. Stupid Lake
Manitoba, Canada
There are thousands of freshwater lakes in Canada, so naming them all must have been frustrating. At some point, they ran out of ideas and simply christened this hole in the ground Stupid Lake.
It actually is kind of a stupid lake, since it’s 55 miles from the closest human settlement. Look at a map, lake. You’re doing it wrong.
35. Brokenwind
Aberdeenshire, Scotland
You don’t have to blame it on the dog in Brokenwind. With such a humbling name, the residents here certainly won’t be inclined to toot their own horns.
And although the coast of Scotland sounds like a gas, we’ll take a pass on this windy city.
34. Little Dix Bay
Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands
The tropical paradise where all ex-boyfriends should be banished.
Actually, it’s a myth that size matters where bays are concerned.
Some big bays just lie there and don’t do much. If anything, I’ve heard that the width of the bay is more important than the length.
To be clear, I’m still talking about bays.
33. Batman
Anatolia, Turkey
The jokes never stop in Batman, which properly ought to have named itself Gotham City. All the same, I’d definitely rather visit Batman, Turkey than Joker, Syria.
32. Disco
Tennessee, USA
If you’re looking for a town where the Bee Gees are always playing and John Travolta is forever walking down Main Street carrying cans of paint… You’ll probably have to look elsewhere.
No one knows how the name ‘Disco’ came to be applied to this small unincorporated village.
The only fact we can find about this place is that its post office closed in 1903. But you may as well pack your bellbottoms just in case?
31. Frankenstein
Osage County, Missouri
If you want to get some publicity for your town, what could be better than naming it after a famous book? How about naming it after a famous book that isn’t about an amoral scientist building homicidal monster with a bolt in his neck? Nah, that’s boring.
30. Goodenough Island
Papua New Guinea
Excellent Island is a bit expensive this time of year and Subpar Island is dealing with an e. coli outbreak. Luckily for you, mediocre traveler, there’s Goodenough Island, which was originally discovered in 1784 By Captain John Adequate of the HMS That’ll Do.
31. Emo
Ontario, Canada
Have you ever felt like no one can ever understand the depths of your pain? Looking for a getaway where you can just don your skinny jeans and listen to Hawthorne Heights in peace?
Check out Emo, Ontario: the happiest place on earth to be sad.
30. Climax
Pennsylvania, USA
It may take a couple of hours to make it happen, but the sense of release you finally feel when you get to Climax is breathtaking. It’s fun to visit on your own, but Climax is even better with a friend.
Only 40% of women in Pennsylvania have ever made it to Climax with their current partner, but it’s surprisingly easy to pretend you’ve been there, roll over, and just go to sleep.
29. Bell End
Worcestershire, England
If you’re not up on your British slang, a ‘bell end’ is… the end of the male anatomy. It’s also the name of an unfortunate village in Worcestershire.
Jokes aside, the hamlet is known for its fine dining. They appreciate big tips.
28. Moose Factory
Ontario, Canada
If you’re wondering where all the moose (mooses? meese)?
get made, look no further than Moose Factory, though NAFTA has hit their exports hard.
Moose Factory is in Northern Ontario on James Bay. Despite it’s tiny population (2,500 people), it is the oldest English-speaking settlement in Ontario, originally founded by the Hudson’s Bay Company.
27. Satan’s Kingdom
Franklin County, Massachusetts
Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. Pits of lava, acid rain, and eternal torment may well await you, but not in this Massachusetts village with an unduly ominous name.
The name is derived from the fact that the local Native Americans offered particularly fierce resistance to the settlers. The devil is in the details.
26. Shades of Death Road
Warren County, New Jersey
In terms of name appeal, Shades of Death Road is right up there with the Boulevard of Broken Dreams and the Hotel Severed Arms. Looks great on a letterhead.
Naturally, this road is the subject of much local folklore. But as far as we can tell the only danger here is idiots who take a drive out to Warren County to steal the street signs for their dorm rooms.
25. Scratch My Arse Rock
Palmerston, Cook Islands
The world has enough Pleasant Valleys and Smithvilles and Springfields. That’s why it’s so refreshing to find there’s a popular fishing spot in the South Pacific called Scratch My Arse Rock.
The name was supposedly bestowed by the 19th century adventurer William Marsters who settled the area with his (plural) wives and baby-mamas.
I’ll scratch yours if you scratch mine.
24. Pity Me
Durham, England
Who says the name of your village can’t also be a cry for help? The name ‘Pity Me’ was probably chosen because the site is remote and difficult to till, but in the intervening centuries I’m sure it made for some wonderfully passive-aggressive postage.
23. Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!
Quebec, Canada
Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! is the only incorporated town in the world with two exclamation marks in its name.
It derives from the French slang term “haha” (no, seriously), which means an impasse or surprise that forces you to turn around. The town is close to the Ha!
Ha! river. So basically the name probably originates with the fact that some French explorer was once mildly surprised here.
22. Mafia Island
Pwani, Tanzania
I ain’t sayin’ nothin’. But if you come stay on Mafia Island, you may just wake up with a severed horse head in the bed next to you.
And in the resort restaurant, they’ll make you an omelette you can’t refuse.
21. Leading Tickles
Newfoundland, Canada
If you’re not familiar with Newfoundland, it’s arguably Canada’s funnest province. It also has a penchant for funny place names.
One of the most uncomfortable is Leading Tickles. Where do the tickles lead? We can’t say. But we do know it’s fine line between rough housing and foreplay, so see where the night takes you.
20. Kanye
Botswana, Africa
Imma let you finish, but I just want to say Botswana has one of the funniest place names of all time.
Kanye is Warhol.
It is the number one most impactful city of our generation. It is Shakespeare in the flesh.
The city has a population of 45,000. That sounds like a choice.
Okay, can I stop writing Kanye things now?
19. Inexpressible Island
Victoria Land, Antarctica
This island is… Okay, you know when you have a dream that you’re falling from a great height? But then just as you’re about to hit the ground, you — No, that’s not it.
This island is… Okay, have you ever eaten a chocolate bar in the bath tub, except —
Okay, screw it. It’s an island.
18. Gravity
Taylor County, Iowa
A place where the weight of the world will not be lifted from your shoulders, but will continue to hold you firmly to the ground at 9.8 m/s2. Legendary birthplace of Sandra Bullock.
Insert joke about how down-to-earth the residents are. Oh, wait: they beat me to it!
17. Goochland
Goochland County, Virginia
They were so proud of the city’s name that they gave it to the whole county. Oh joy of joys!
Despite the taint of being featured on The Cleveland Show, we think the name ‘Goochland’ really puts its finger on the sweet spot.
16. Fjuckby
Uppsala, Sweden
The town of Fjuckby is home to Sweden’s famous Fjuckboys. Sure, they’re cute.
They’ll take you to Ikea and buy you a plate of fancy meatballs and then you’ll go back to the hotel together. But when you text them the next day, they’ll be like “nEw PhOnE wHo DiS”?
In all seriousness, some residents of Fjuckby are so tired of their town being made fun of that they petitioned the government to change the name.
So if any of you are reading this: we’re sorry.
15. Executive Committee Mountain Range
Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica
Congratulations, Mountain Range!
After extensive deliberations, the Executive Committee on Naming Mountain Ranges has decided to designate you ‘Executive Committee Mountain Range’ in honor of the contributions made by this committee in the area of naming mountain ranges.
We look forward to having a productive dialogue with you about synergy going forward.
14. Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg
Webster, Massachusetts
Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg is the longest place name in the United States. Unwieldy as it is, Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg has a proud and interesting history. The name supposedly comes from Nimpuc Algonquin (or a mistranslation thereof), and basically means “lake divided by islands”.
Surely, even Germans would hesitate to attempt a word as long as Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg.
13. Miass
Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia
With a population of 150,000, Miass is one of the biggest things on this list. This isn’t just some poorly-named street in the middle of nowhere or a forgotten ghost town, but a major center of Russia’s automotive industry.
That leaves Miass hanging out there for all the world to see.
12. Apocalypse Peaks
Victoria Land, Antarctica
If you’re looking for the end of the world, you’ll have to go to the end of the world: namely Antarctica, a surprising bastion of the world’s funniest place names.
Rising to a height of 7,740 feet, these mountains were so named because a university research team because they resemble the four horsemen of doom.
Still, to us, Apocalypse Peaks sounds like a Tommy Lee Jones movie that never got made.
11. Blue Ball
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
You could visit the unincorporated town of Blue Ball if you want. Or you could get all excited, bring yourself dangerously close to the edge of visiting, and then deny yourself at the last moment.
Doesn’t that sound like more fun in the long run?
10. Lord Hereford’s Knob
Powys, Wales
I don’t know who Lord Hereford is, but I’ve seen his knob. That has to count for something.
Lord Hereford’s Knob is a mountain in southeast Wales. Its other name (Twmpa) is less funny, but infinitely more Welsh.
This funniest place name is prominent enough to have inspired a folk rock song parody.
My lord must be so pleased.
9. Bird-in-Hand
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Dutch Country in Pennsylvania is a Mecca for the world’s funniest place names, but Bird-in-Hand might be the funniest. Funnier still, Bird-in-Hand is dyed-in-the-wool Quaker and Amish country, and those folks don’t tend to be super on board for *ahem* self-love.
But as they say: one bird in your hand is worth two in the bush.
8. Beaverlick
Boone County, Kentucky
If you want to send your husband a message about his performance in the boudoir, take him for a day trip to Beaverlick. He probably won’t get the message right away, but after the third or fourth time you make him pose next to a sign proclaiming the name of the town, it might start to sink in.
By the way, according to Wikipedia: “The community’s name came from its location at the source of the Beaver Branch of Big Bone Creek”. I thought you would want to know.
7. Cheesequake
Middlesex County, New Jersey
For those of you who aren’t disgusting, a cheesequake is when you eat so much room temperature cheesecake that your subsequent trip to the bathroom shakes the entire house.
Oh, also it’s an unincorporated town in New Jersey, I guess.
Cool.
6. Wetwang
East Yorkshire, England
Better too wet than too dry, I always say. This historic village with its iron age burial grounds will never be treated with the seriousness it merits until its name stops making the foul-minded think of sexy times.
5. New Erection
Rockingham County, Virginia
Some poor sap built a church in Virginia and called it ‘New Erection’ because it was… newly erected. Now it’s just a very old joke.
Old habits die hard, I guess.
4. Dick’s Knob
Rabun County, Georgia
This whole thing about calling mountains knobs… it just needs to stop. Dick’s Knob finds itself ranked the fourth funniest place name in the world because it has the added distinction of having been named after someone named Dick.
Also because we’re like 11 years old and body parts are hilarious.
3. Port Circumcision
Grahamland, Antarctica
This one barely made the cut, but I just didn’t have the heart to knife it. It was named for the holy day upon which the area was discovered way back in 1909.
But for us adult children, its definition will always be more surgical in nature.
By the way, have you noticed how many of the world’s funniest place names are in Antarctica?
It’s like they thought they could hide them down there and we would never notice.
2. Butthole Lane
Leicestershire, England
Okay, come on. I know there’s probably some excuse for why this street bears such a lamentable name.
But you will never convince me they didn’t know exactly what they were doing.
…Okay. Fine. Supposedly the name derives from ‘butt’, which meant a target that archers would shoot at.
Still, you’d think they would have changed the name by now.
Not on the cards, according to what one long-time resident told Metro: “It is part of the tradition of Shepshed.
Everybody that is a Shepshedian by birth has happy memories of Butthole Lane”.
Dude, you’re killing me.
1. Big Bone Lick
State Park, Kentucky
Finally, we come to the funniest place name in the world, hands down: Big Bone Lick, state park in Kentucky. It is named for the fact that mammoth bones have been found there, and the conjecture that the animals were attracted to the area by a salt lick.
So a visit to Big Bone Lick can be quite an education, provided you come with an appetite. For knowledge. Or whatever. Honestly, I don’t even know anymore.
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