List of geographic portmanteaus


This is a list of geographic portmanteaus. Portmanteaus are names constructed by combining elements of two, or occasionally more, other names.
For the most part, the geographic names in this list were derived from two other names or words. Those derived from three or more names are usually considered acronyms or initialisms and can be found in the List of geographic acronyms and initialisms. However, there are exceptions to this two/three rule in both lists, so it is more of a guideline than a hard-and-fast rule.
Note that not all combinations of two names are considered portmanteaus. Simple concatenation of two names does not produce a portmanteau. Nor does a combinative form of one name plus the full name of another. These kinds of names are excluded from this list.

Regions named from their components

Some regions have names that are portmanteaus of subregions or cities within the region.

Countries

Chinese provinces

Some Chinese provinces have names that are blends of their two largest cities.

Korean provinces

During the Joseon Kingdom, seven Korean provinces were named by combining the first characters of their two major cities. The provinces were reorganized in the 1890s but the names are still in use. All these traditional provincial names are carried forward by two current provinces and for all except Gangwon a North and a South province of the same name. However note that for most former provinces, the two current provinces with the name are usually not entirely coextensive with the former province.
The dates of the former provinces are those when they carried that name; they often existed with a different name before that year.

Somalia provinces

Two of Somalia's federal member states are portmanteaus of the smaller administrative regions within the states.

Vanuatu provinces

Half of Vanuatu's provincial names are portmanteaus of their main islands or island groups.

Merged towns

Sometimes a portmanteau name is created from the names of predecessor towns. Names that are merely a concatenation of the predecessor names, such as Budapest, are excluded.

Schools and school districts

Some school districts that serve two or three towns have names that are either blends of those towns' names or blends of county names that the district covers parts of.

Other regions portmanteaued from their components

Border portmanteaus

A border portmanteau combines the names of two, or occasionally three, adjacent polities to form a name for a region, town, body of water, or other feature on or near their mutual border.

Regions

Generalized border regions

These are generalized regions usually centered on cities near state borders in the United States. They usually extend across state lines and their names are portmanteaus of two or three state names.

Other portmanteau regions

Towns, villages, and localities

§ This symbol marks localities with no current population; some of them never had any population.

Blends of country, state, and province names

Note: places listed on the same line are immediately across the border from each other. Some others with non-similar names are also across a border from each other.

Blends of county names

Blends of town names

Bodies of water

Lakes that are on or near borders also sometimes get named with portmanteaus of the neighbouring polities.

Topography

Geographic features on borders or between towns sometimes get border portmanteau names.

Roads and other forms of transportation

These can either run along or near a border or connect two places.

Roads along a border

  • Beltagh Avenue part runs along the boundary between the hamlets of North Bellmore and Wantagh, the rest along the boundary between Bellmore and North Bellmore
  • Can-Ada Road along two different sections of the county line, one known as North Can-Ada Road and the other as South Can-Ada Road.
  • Canusa Street runs along the border between Beebe Plain, Vermont and Standstead, Quebec
  • Clarabella Road, on the county line near the city of Clare
  • Clareola Avenue road on county line
  • Claroskee Road, road along northern border of Clare County and southern border of Missaukee and Roscommon Counties
  • Clarwin Road, Clarwin Avenue road along county line, with different parts known as Road and Avenue
  • Clintonia Road western border of Clinton County, eastern border of Ionia County
  • Costabella Avenue, on the county line
  • Dalrock Road on the county line within the city of Rowlett, Texas
  • Fitchrona Road road on the town line between two Dane County communities
  • Grand-Kal Road, on the county line near the village of Fife Lake
  • Kenowa Avenue western border of Kent, eastern border of Ottawa
  • Meceola Road, road along the border of two counties.
  • Michiana Drive street on the mutual city limits of Michiana, Michigan and Michiana Shores, Indiana, which also puts it on the state border between Michigan and Indiana
  • Millfair Road road along the border of two townships in Erie County, Pennsylvania
  • Newcosta Avenue, road along the county line
  • Oranole Road, road runs along county border
  • Ottagan Street southern border of Ottawa, northern border of Allegan
  • Stainash Crescent, east of Staines, west of Ashford

Connectors

Other border portmanteaus

  • Frelard an unofficial neighbourhood where two other neighbourhoods meet
  • Mantario Trail hiking trail mostly in Manitoba but partially in Ontario
  • Mari-Osa State Wildlife Area, Missouri
  • Minn-Kota State Wildlife Management Area, Minnesota

Maps

Below are maps of the towns, bodies of water, and other geographic features that are portmanteaus of country, state, and province names. Also included are pseudo-border portmanteau towns.
Map legend:

Pseudo-border portmanteaus

Some places have names that are blends of country, state, and provincial names. However, they are either not near their mutual border, or of regions that do not have a mutual border.

From personal names

Most here are blends of two personal names, but some are of a personal name with some other name or word.

Livestock

  • Bimble, Kentucky — Bim and Bill, two oxen owned by Will Payne, first postmaster
  • Clemretta, British Columbia — Clementine and Henrietta, two cows owned by the first postmaster

Other portmanteaus