Maps are usually boring. You look for a highway, find a gas station, or try to figure out if that blue line is a river or a ditch. But then you see it. A name so ridiculous you have to zoom in twice just to make sure Google Maps isn't glitching out. I’m talking about funny town names in the world that make you wonder if the founding fathers were just exhausted or perhaps a little bit tipsy when they filed the paperwork.
Geography is weird. It’s messy.
Sometimes, a name sounds perfectly dignified in a local dialect but becomes a punchline once it hits the ears of an English speaker. Other times, the name is just as weird in its native language. We’ve all heard of Intercourse, Pennsylvania. It’s the low-hanging fruit of the "strange town names" world. But if you dig deeper into the global atlas, you find places like Fucking, Austria (now renamed Fugging because they got tired of people stealing their signs) or Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch in Wales.
That last one isn't a typo. It’s a 58-letter nightmare for anyone trying to address an envelope.
The psychology of the "What Were They Thinking?" name
Why does this happen? Most of the time, it’s linguistic evolution. Take the village of Shitterton in Dorset, England. To a modern ear, it sounds like a literal disaster. In reality, the name dates back over a thousand years to the Old English "Scit-tun," basically meaning a farmstead on the stream used as an open sewer. Honestly, the honesty is almost refreshing. They didn’t try to brand it as "Silver Brook Estates." They just called it what it was.
Then you have places that were named out of pure spite or whimsy.
In the United States, town naming was often a chaotic free-for-all during the westward expansion. If a postal clerk rejected your first three choices because they were already taken, you might just write down "Whatever" or "Why Not" out of frustration. That is exactly how Whynot, North Carolina, got its name. The residents couldn't agree on a name, and someone finally snapped: "Why not name it Whynot and let’s go home?"
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It worked. People live there now.
European gems that require a straight face
Europe is a goldmine for funny town names in the world because the history is so dense. You’ve got Boredom in France (actually spelled Bordeau, but pronounced similarly enough to give tourists a chuckle). But let’s talk about the heavy hitters.
Hell, Norway.
It freezes over. Frequently. Seeing a sign that says "Hell Gods-Expedition" (which just means cargo handling) is a peak travel experience. The town has leaned into the bit, obviously. They sell postcards. They have a Miss Universe winner from there (Mona Grudt, who famously called herself "The beauty queen from Hell"). It’s a charming place, despite the name suggesting eternal damnation.
Condom, France.
Located in the Gers department, this town has nothing to do with contraception. The name comes from the Gaulish words condate-on, meaning a "confluence." But tell that to the tourists who crowd the town square every summer to take photos with the nameplate. The local museum even tried to lean into the joke with a contraceptive display, but the town remains, at its heart, a beautiful, historic commune famous for Armagnac.
Twatt, Scotland.
There are actually two of them—one in Shetland and one in Orkney. The name comes from the Old Norse word þveit, meaning a small parcel of land. It’s a perfectly innocent linguistic relic that happens to be a Tier 1 insult in modern British English. Imagine being the delivery driver for that route.
The weirdness of the American map
The US is where things get truly chaotic. Unlike Europe, where names evolved over millennia, many American towns were named by bored settlers, hopeful gold miners, or eccentric landowners.
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- Truth or Consequences, New Mexico: They literally changed their name from Hot Springs in 1950 because a radio show host promised to broadcast from the first town that renamed itself after his program. They voted for it. They kept it.
- Zzyzx, California: This wasn't a cat walking across a keyboard. It was the brainchild of Curtis Howe Springer, a self-proclaimed "Last of the Old-Time Health Evangelists." He wanted the last word in the English language to be the name of his mineral springs resort.
- Santa Claus, Indiana: This town receives thousands of letters to Santa every year. The local post office has a dedicated team of "elves" (volunteers) who answer them. It’s wholesome, but the address is still objectively hilarious.
There is a specific kind of joy in seeing a green highway sign for Boring, Oregon. It’s not a commentary on the local nightlife; it was named after William H. Boring, an early resident. Naturally, they paired up with the village of Dull, Scotland, to form a "League of Extraordinary Communities." Later, Bland, New South Wales, joined the party. It’s the most underwhelming trinity in human history.
Why we love these places
There’s a reason these names rank so well in our collective curiosity. We live in a world that is increasingly sterilized and corporate. Every new housing development is called "The Oaks" or "Willow Creek." When we encounter a place called Batman, Turkey, or Middelfart, Denmark, it breaks the simulation. It reminds us that humans are weird and that language is a living, breathing, often clumsy thing.
Middelfart, by the way, means "middle way" or "central passage" in Old Danish. It has nothing to do with flatulence. But that doesn't stop the English-speaking world from giggling like middle schoolers when they see the sign on the bridge.
Navigating the logistics of a "Funny Name" road trip
If you’re actually planning to visit some of these funny town names in the world, you need to be prepared for the reality on the ground. Most of these places are quiet, residential areas. They aren't theme parks.
- The Sign Problem: Be careful. In many of these towns, the most famous thing is the entry sign. Unfortunately, people steal them. A lot. If you’re heading to Shagnasty Falls or Hooker, Oklahoma, don't be surprised if the sign is missing or bolted down with industrial-grade security hardware.
- Local Sensitivity: Some residents love the notoriety. Others are tired of the jokes. If you’re in Intercourse, PA, the locals are very used to the puns. If you’re in a tiny hamlet in rural England, they might just want to buy their groceries in peace.
- The "Nothing Else" Factor: Some of these places are just... names. Nothing, Arizona, is exactly what it sounds like. There is a concrete slab and a sense of regret. Always check if there’s actually a cafe or a gas station before you divert two hours off the interstate for a photo.
The linguistic "False Friend" trap
A lot of what makes these names funny is a phenomenon linguists call "False Friends." This is when a word in one language looks or sounds like a word in another but means something completely different.
Take Fucking, Austria. For centuries, it was just the village of the "Focco" people. The suffix "-ing" is an old Germanic way of saying "people of." So it was just "Focco’s People." To the villagers, it was home. To American GIs after WWII, it was the funniest thing they’d ever seen. The village eventually gave up and changed the spelling to Fugging in 2021 because the cost of replacing stolen signs was eating the municipal budget.
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It’s a reminder that global connectivity has a price. Local quirks become global memes.
Moving beyond the gag
There is genuine history buried in these oddities. Rough and Ready, California, was named after a mining company, which itself was named after Zachary Taylor (whose nickname was "Old Rough and Ready"). The town actually seceded from the United States for a few months in 1850 to avoid a mining tax. They forgot to celebrate the 4th of July, realized they were missing out on the fun, and voted their way back into the Union.
That’s a better story than the name itself.
When you look for funny town names in the world, you’re really looking for the scars and jokes of history. You’re looking at the places where the official narrative broke down and something human took over. Whether it's Eek, Alaska, or Wagga Wagga, Australia (so good they named it twice), these places give the map its personality.
How to find your own weird spots
Don't just stick to the Top 10 lists you find on Reddit. If you want to find the truly obscure stuff, you have to look at topographic maps or old postal records.
- Use the USGS Board on Geographic Names database for the US. It contains every named "feature" in the country. You’ll find hills, creeks, and crossroads that never made it to the big maps.
- Look for "unincorporated communities." These places often keep their weird names because they don't have a formal town council trying to look "professional" for investors.
- Check out the Gazetteer of British Place Names. It’s a rabbit hole of Saxon weirdness.
Actionable steps for the curious traveler
If you’re ready to go see these places for yourself, here is how you do it without being "that" tourist:
- Pin your route first. Use a custom Google Map to drop pins on all the weirdly named spots along a major highway. The I-95 or the M1 are goldmines.
- Support the local economy. If you stop to take a photo of a sign for Giggleswick, buy a coffee or a sandwich in the town. It’s a fair trade for the entertainment value they provide.
- Respect the "Private Property" signs. A lot of the best names are actually on private farms or small lanes. Don't hop a fence for a selfie.
- Check the pronunciation. You’ll sound much more like a pro if you know that Gotham, Nottinghamshire, is pronounced "Goat-ham," not like the Batman city.
The world is full of places that sound like they were named by a committee of comedians. Whether it’s Dildo, Newfoundland, or Pity Me, England, these names are a tiny, hilarious rebellion against the mundane. Next time you’re planning a trip, look past the capital cities. Find the place that makes you laugh out loud when you read it on the screen. That’s usually where the best stories are hiding.