Did You Know - Meaning of names of Towns/Villages in Trinidad (Part 2)
Anglais Road - Anglais is the French word for "English" and it is believed that this area in Cumana Toco is named after the English who attempted to create a settlement in the area in 1631, while Trinidad was still a Spanish colony.
Arena - An Amerindian word meaning "Place Of Sand"
Aripo - An Amerindian word for the Flat Baking Stone on which the Amerindians made bread.
Basse Terre - A French place name meaning "Loose or Poor Earth"
Bejuecal - An East Indian word meaning "Place Of The Bamboo Reeds"
Bonasse - This village in Cedros is believed to have been named after the French word meaning "Nice".
Bonne Aventure - A French name meaning "Good Adventure"
Brasso Seco - - A Spanish place name meaning "Dry Branch"
Buenos Ayres - A Spanish name meaning "Good Air"
Calcutta Settlement - Named after Calcutta in India
California - Although in other parts of the world, the name California is usually associated with areas of Spanish influence, it is believed that in Trinidad the name arose because of the Amerindian sub-tribe, the Kalipuna,who settled in that area.
Cap de Ville - An area in Point Fortin named after a French estate owner Monsieur Cap de Ville
Carapichaima - Formed from two Amerindian words. Chaima was the name of an Amerindian tribe while their settlement was called Carapa
Carenage - Named by the French because of the careening of boats in the bay to clean their bottoms
Chaguaramas - The Amerindians named the bay after the giant Palmiste trees that lined Chaguaramas bay and eventually the name was given to the entire peninsula.
Champs Fleurs - A French name meaning a "Field of Flowers"
Chandernagore - This place name has East Indian roots and is a corruption of the name Chander Nagar which mean "Place Lighted By The Moon"
Cocorite - Named after the Cocorite trees that were in the area
Cumana - This area shares its name with several other places in South America where the Spanish settled.
D'Abadie - A French place name after a French Creole estate owner
Dalley Village - Located in Santa Flora, this village was created in 1948 and named after Christopher Dalley who was the joint managing director of Trinidad Petroleum Development Company (TPD), the company that created the village
Embarcadere - A French word that means "Wharf or Shipping place"
Fondes Amandes - Located in St Anns this is French for "Almond Grove"
Galera - This peninsula in Toco is a Spanish word for a type of sailing ship called a Galley
Gasparee - Named after the Spanish settler Gaspar de Percin la Roque
Grande Riviere -A French place name meaning "Large River"
Guaico - An Amerindian word that was taken from the river that runs thru the area.
Guapo - A Spanish name after the river in the Point Fortin area which they called "Beautiful River "
Hindustan - This place name was given because of the East Indian inhabitants
Indian Walk - This area in Moruga is named after a trail that was used for centuries by the Guarahoon Indians who visited Trinidad, travelling in their dug-out canoes across the channel from Venezuela.
Kernahan Village - Named after an Irish family that lived in this area of Manzanilla
La Brea - A Spanish place name meaning Tar which came about because of the presence of the Pitch Lake. The word pitch comes from the Amerindian word "Piche".
La Fillette - A French place name meaning The "Little Girl."
La Lune - Originally a Spanish name, La Luna, meaning "The Moon" because of the beauty of the moonlight on the water in this area of Moruga.
La Tinta - A Spanish name meaning "Inky" for a bay on Chacachacare.
Las Cuevas - A Spanish name arising from "The Caves" in the area
Los Iros - A Spanish name meaning "The Rocks"
Madras Settlement - Named after Madras in India
Majuba Cross Road - An African place name for an area in Diego Martin
Mandingo Road - Mandingo Road got its name from the descendants of the Mandingo tribe of West Africa who settled in this area of Moruga
Marabella - A Spanish name meaning "Good Sea"
Matelot - Derived from a French name apparently related to the word Sailor Or Boatman
Matilda Junction - This intersection on the Moruga Road was named after Ma Matilda who owned land adjoining the Fair Field and New Fancy Estates and allowed passage through her land, thus reducing the journey of persons travelling from Moruga to Princes Town.
Mayaro - An Amerindian place name after the "Maya Plant"
Morne Bleu - A French name meaning "Blue Mountain"
Mucurapo - An Amerindian place name that according to Anthony De Verteuil was originally Camocorabo and the Spanish changed to Cumucurape and meant "The Place of the Silk Cotton Tree "
Oropouche - An Amerindian word
Palo Seco - A Spanish name meaning "Dry Stick"
Penal - An English place name because of the "Penal Colony" that was once in the area
Petit Café - This area in Moruga is within the section known as Indian Walk. It is so named because women did brisk trade selling edibles to the travellers at this location.
Point Gourd - This name for an area in Chaguaramas is derived from the original Spanish name of Punta Gorda (Fat Point) which the French called Pointe Gourde and the English changed to Point Gourd.
Point Radix - Under the Cedula of Population of 1783, a French immigrant with the surname Radix was granted all of the northern headland of Mayaro Bay. Over time the headland came to be called Point Radix.
Rancho Quemado- A Spanish name meaning "Burnt Land"
Rio Claro - A Spanish name meaning "Clear River"
Rustville - This area is Mayaro is named after Randolph Rust, a Trinidad oil pioneer
Salybia - In the early part of Trinidad history, the Amerindian tribe, the Kalinago had a settlement in this area. The name, Salybia, is thought to be derived from Chaleibe, their name for Trinidad.
San Juan - A Spanish name given by Governor Chacon after St John the Baptist
Sangre Chiquito - A Spanish name meaning "Little Blood"
Sans Souci - A French name meaning "Without Care"
Sierra Leone Road - An African name because many freed slaves from Sierra Leone lived in this area of Diego Martin.
Tabaquite - An Amerindian name
Tacarigua - An Amerindian place name
Tamana - The name Tamana is derived from the name of an Amerindian Tribe, the Tamanaco, who originally lived in that area.
Tompire - An Amerindian place name for this area on the outskirts of Cumana
Tortuga - A name given by the Spanish settlers because of the many land "Tortoises" that were found in the area
Tumpuna - An Amerindian place name
Tunapuna - An Amerindian place name derived from the words "Tona" meaning water and "Pona" mean on.
Turure - An Amerindian place name
Valencia - A modification of a Spanish place name arising from a planter, Valentia, who had an estate in the area
Vessigny - A French name as a result of the Corsican settler Simon Paul Vessiny who opened a sugar estate in the area
Vistabella - A Spanish name meaning "Good View"
Waterloo - This is a Flemish place name