They are the legacy of misheard words, mistranslations and, occasionally, a colonial official deciding that a place would look better named after someone he knew. Misheard NamesSome of the most enduring place names began as simple misunderstandings. Fiji is a good example. Rather than sweeping renaming, many Irish place names were anglicised and reshaped into something English speakers could pronounce, spell or make sense of. What Maps Really Tell UsWhat all of these examples reveal is that place names are not fixed truths.

Source: Irish Examiner March 20, 2026 06:04 UTC