A Brief History of Anatomical Place Names

Using the U.S. Geological Survey's Geographic Names Information System, a Daily Yonder reporter catalogued hundreds of American place names referencing body parts, including 241 places with ‘Elbow,’ 80 of them ‘Devil's Elbow,’ plus dozens each referencing fingers, knees, thumbs, noses, and nipples. The unincorporated South Carolina community known locally as Sugar Tit, officially named Pelham, inspired the search.

The reporting notes that many seemingly anatomical names are mangled versions of Indigenous words, and that a 2015 investigation found thousands of racist entries in the same database, including hundreds targeting Black and Asian Americans and a widely used slur that sexualized Indigenous women.

Some states have moved to rename these places: Washington approved nine restorations of Indigenous names in 2023.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.