You’ve probably seen the signs while driving across state lines. You pass through a "Franklin" in Tennessee, only to hit another "Franklin" a few hundred miles later in Kentucky. It feels like a glitch in the matrix. Honestly, if you’re trying to find the most popular city name in America, you’re going to run into a lot of heated debates between history buffs and postal workers.
People love to argue about this.
Some folks swear it’s Springfield because of The Simpsons. Others are convinced it’s Washington because, well, he’s everywhere. But the truth is a bit more complicated than a single leaderboard. Depending on how you count—whether you’re looking at post offices, incorporated cities, or tiny villages—the "winner" actually changes.
Why Franklin is (Probably) the Real Winner
If we go by pure numbers from the U.S. Geological Survey and the Postal Service, Franklin usually takes the crown. It’s sitting there with about 31 or 32 different instances across the country.
Benjamin Franklin was the ultimate celebrity of the late 1700s. He wasn't just a Founding Father; he was a scientist, an inventor, and the guy who basically organized the mail system. It makes sense that people wanted to name their new dirt-road settlements after him.
But here’s a weird bit of trivia: The first town to actually name itself Franklin (in Massachusetts) did so to get a donation of books from Ben himself. He sent the books, but he reportedly told them they should have asked for a bell instead, because "sense" is better than "sound."
Classic Ben.
The Washington Confusion
Now, if you look at "place names" in general—including counties, townships, and schools—Washington absolutely crushes everyone. There are nearly 90 places named Washington.
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However, many of those aren't technically "cities" in the way we think of them. They might be a township in New Jersey that doesn’t have a defined "downtown" or a tiny unincorporated community that’s basically just a gas station and a dream.
The Top Contenders at a Glance
- Franklin: The consistent heavy hitter for incorporated towns.
- Clinton: Surprisingly common, though mostly named after DeWitt Clinton (the Erie Canal guy), not Bill.
- Washington: The undisputed king of total geographic features.
- Arlington: It’s everywhere, often tracing its roots back to the Custis-Lee Virginia estate.
- Springfield: The "average" American town name, though technically it doesn't hold the #1 spot as often as you'd think.
Why Do We Keep Recycling the Same Names?
It’s easy to look at a map and think early Americans were just lazy. Why not name a town "Thunder Mountain" or "Blueberry Creek"?
Instead, they went with most popular city name in America tropes like Greenville or Fairview.
Settlers were usually trying to do one of three things. First, they were sucking up to powerful politicians (hence all the Madisons and Jeffersons). Second, they were nostalgic. If you moved from Springfield, Massachusetts, to the edge of the frontier in Illinois, you probably wanted a little piece of home.
Third, they were marketing. "Fairview" sounds like a great place to buy property. "Swampy Mosquito Valley" does not.
The Mystery of Springfield
We have to talk about Springfield. It’s the ultimate "Anytown, USA."
Matt Groening chose it for The Simpsons specifically because it’s so common. There are Springfields in at least 34 states. But when you narrow the list down to actual cities with more than 25,000 people, the list gets much shorter.
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There are only about five or six "major" Springfields.
The one in Massachusetts is the original—founded in 1636. Then you’ve got the ones in Illinois, Missouri, and Ohio. They all claim to be the "real" one, but the name itself is just a description. It literally means a field with a spring. Not exactly the peak of creative naming, but it worked.
What Most People Get Wrong About Clinton
Whenever I tell people Clinton is one of the most popular names, they assume it’s a modern trend.
Nope.
Almost none of these towns are named after the 42nd president. They were mostly named in the early 19th century for DeWitt Clinton. He was the Governor of New York and the driving force behind the Erie Canal. Back then, the Erie Canal was the equivalent of the internet—it changed everything.
If your town was near a trade route, naming it Clinton was like naming it "Innovation Hub" today.
Tips for Navigating the "Repeat" Cities
If you’re planning a road trip or moving, the repetition of the most popular city name in America can actually be a massive headache for your GPS.
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- Always check the Zip Code. This sounds obvious, but people end up in the wrong state all the time. There’s a Franklin in almost every state east of the Mississippi.
- Look for the "New" prefix. Sometimes a city is just "Paris," but other times it's "New Paris." It matters.
- Check the county. In states like Pennsylvania or New Jersey, you might have a "Washington Township" in three different counties.
Where the Names Are Heading
We aren't really naming many new cities these days. Most of the land is already incorporated. Instead, we’re seeing "planned communities" with names like Whispering Oaks or Falcon Ridge.
It’s a different kind of repetition.
But the old names—the Franklins and the Madisons—stay because they’re baked into our history. They represent a time when naming a town was an act of hope, a way to anchor a tiny collection of cabins to the legacy of a "Great Man" or a beautiful landscape.
If you really want to dive into the data, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names maintains a massive database called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). You can spend hours in there looking up how many "Mud Creeks" exist (spoiler: it's a lot).
For the casual traveler, just remember that if you're in a city named Franklin, you're standing in a piece of a 250-year-old marketing campaign.
Next time you're on a long drive, count how many "Fairviews" you pass. It's a great way to realize just how much we value a good view—or at least the promise of one.
Actionable Next Steps:
Check your own state's gazetteer to see which "popular" name appears most frequently in your backyard. You might find that while Franklin wins nationally, your specific region has a weird obsession with names like "Union" or "Liberty" that didn't quite make the top of the national charts. If you're traveling, always verify the county and state in your navigation app before hitting 'Go' to avoid a multi-hour detour to the wrong Springfield.