Louisiana is an old and very historic state. Some might even call it creepy. But did you ever wonder how some of our towns and parishes got their names? Or, did you know that we have 15 parishes named after actual saints? Well, the people at Only in Louisiana have some fascinating info about how 15 parishes across the state were named.History is all around us, folks.

 

  • Bossier - in 1843 the parish was named after General Pierre Bossier, who was a soldier and plantation owner
  • Caddo - named for the Caddo Indians, who were the original residents of the area
  • Catahoula - named after the Tensas word which means 'big, clear lake'
  • Concordia - somewhat of a mystery, but one theory is that it was named after a mansion called Concord, which was owned by Governor de Lemos
  • East and West Baton Rouge - the 'red stick' used by Native Americans to mark boundaries between tribes
  • Evangeline - named after the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem of the same name
  • Iberia - in 1868 named after the Iberian Peninsula by Spanish settlers
  • Lafayette - in 1823 the parish was named after Revolutionary War hero the Marquis de Lafayette
  • Lafourche - named after Bayou Lafourche, and the name in French refers to a 'fork' in the Mississippi River
  • Vernon - generally recognized as being named after the home of General George Washington
  • Plaquemines - founded in 1807 and named from the Attakapas word 'piakimin', for persimmon
  • Pointe Coupee - the French word for 'cut off', for a bend in the Mississippi River that runs through the parish
  • Rapides - French for the 'rapids' of the Red River
  • Tangipahoa - from the Indian Acolapissa word meaning 'ear of corn'
  • St.Tammany - named after a Delaware Indian Chief, Tamanend

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