Long after the United States had won its hard-fought struggle for independence from Great Britain in 1783, you still would have found citizens throughout the world’s newest nation shouting, “Vive la France!”
With good reason, too, because the French wound up playing a key role in the Revolutionary War even though it cost them dearly. Looking to avenge its losses to Britain during the French and Indian War, France began secretly sending supplies to the upstart colonists as early as 1775. Then, after the Americans stunned everyone by capturing Gen. John Burgoyne’s army in late 1777, France started to think, “Sacre bleu! These guys could win!” Less than four months later, France recognized the United States as a sovereign nation, joined the war against Britain and began sending money, men and materiel to aid the American cause against France’s hated rival across the channel.
The effort would leave the French government with a mountain of debt on the eve of its own revolution, but it helped turn U.S. citizens into avid Francophiles. One way of showing their gratitude was to start adding the suffix of “ville” — the French word for “town” or “city” — to the names of new communities throughout much of the country for the better part of a century.
This sudden naming revolution is easily detected with even a cursory study of American history, according to the late George Rippey Stewart. In addition to his essential account of the last battle of Gettysburg (“Pickett’s Charge”), the University of California at Berkeley professor also was a noted toponymist — a person who studies the origins, meanings and use of place names (toponyms).
Before the revolution, names of towns did not usually use suffixes unless the settlement decided to name itself after an existing town in the Old World. When a suffix was used, “town” or “ton” was typically added, such as Charleston, S.C., which originally was known as Charles Town, and Trenton, N.J., founded by William Trent. By the 1750s, the suffixes “borough/boro” and “burgh” also became trendy.
But after the war, “ville” quickly became as popular here — especially in the South and Appalachian regions — as it had in France after 600 A.D. and, 400 years later, in England after the Norman conquest. A perfect example popped up already in 1780 when settlers in Kentucky founded Louisville, which not only has the “ville” but also was named to honor King Louis XVI of France. For the next 70 years or so, ville and burgh/burg became the favorites, although “burgh” usually was added to a personal name (e.g., Pittsburgh) while “ville” could be tacked on to most any word (hence, Belleville or “beautiful city”). By the 1850s, however, its popularity began to wane as newer suffixes became fashionable, including “wood,” “hurst” and “dale.”
