Why are so many New York place names totally ripped off from London place names??

Question

I know that the US is full of place names the same as the UK from migrants settling out there... but in NY it's rediculous!! Chelsea, Soho, Noho... it cant be because of settlers, can it?

Guys... i'm not angry - and I know New York is named after... York!!! I just wondered if whether one day, city planners thought "I know lets name a few suburbs after London"

Answer 1

the whole country has nicked names from all over the world.

Paris, Texas for example, Los Angeles is a region in Spain. New York was taken from York in the UK. There are dozens more.

Answer 2

Notice 'New' York is actually very similar to 'York' England. Many names were given identical names or similar ones because around the time the cities were being named, most of the emigrants were from England. Spain may have discovered the America's but the Spainish settler's ended in the southern states and Mexico. The majority of the emigrant's from England ended up in the New 'England' states. I guess they were not creative enough to come up with something original.

Answer 3

You do realize that the british at one time captured New Amsterdam and renamed it New York? The names weren't "stolen", the Brits did it themselves!! made them feel more at home.

The Dutch had a lot of territory on the East Coast. There was a town called New Amstel in Delaware, there was New Amsterdam and many others along the way. I believe it was in the early 1700's, the British came up the coast and renamed the DE city to New Castle and renamed the big city to New York.

Answer 4

Yeah its because of settlers. Though I think SoHo and NoHo are named because they are North and South of Houston Street. I guess people still wanted to be reminded of home, though I don't think its exclusive to English settlers as New York was called New Amsterdam

Answer 5

Actually, a lot of the districts and landmarks in New York carry Dutch names. As a lot of people have already mentioned, "New York" used to be "New Amsterdam".

It's the colonists, stupid!

Hence: Harlem (Haarlem), Brooklyn (Breukelen) and Staten Island (Staten Land).

There is a similar European heritage all over the States!

Answer 6

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I think it is quite endearing. Soho tho is south Houston so I don't know whether it qualifies as a rip off.
Unfortunately snobbism in the US is more pernicious than in the UK. They copy the whole artistocratic thing and really believe it whereas in our own sceptred isle we can larf at ourselves no matter what echelon we belong to.

Answer 7

Actually, it can. The original colonists gave familiar names to unfamiliar places as a way to keep connected to their "homeland"......you also have to remember that many names...Georgia, for instance, were given in honor of the King, or in honor of the founder of the place, like Pennsylvania for William Penn, who founded the colony.
York, England..."New" York, colonial America. Not only London, but all of England....Bristol, "New" Hmapshire...etc.

Answer 8

Because England is still in charge of the US, don't believe me, why is the pound worth two dollars, why is BP (British Petroleum) on every street corner, why does America still use the standard measurement when the rest of the world uses metric, the price of tea, why did Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson dress like woman and wear the wigs that Parliament wear. Also observe all the Jaguar cars in America, and why do they all have electrical problems just like Ford. Just some of my thoughts.

Answer 9

Yes, it's the settlers. Worse than that, though, America used to be a British Colony.
I think everything started to go downhill about the time Peter Stuyvesant left his job in New Amsterdam.

Answer 10

possibly because the original settlers where the Pilgrim Fathers, mainly based in the south of England but could quite eaisly been from the London area. Try looking for references relating to "The Mayflower" the original ship.