Jamaican Place Names

Jamaican place names range from the commonplace to the bizarre. Densely

distributed across the map of the island, they not only intrigue the visitor

and the resident but also provide clues to Jamaica's past landscapes and its

social and economic history. Written from a historical and geographical

perspective by two authors with an intimate knowledge of the island, this

book presents an entirely new approach to the study of Jamaican place

names. Maps and other sources dating from the earliest years of European

contact to the twenty-first century are used to compile a data base of over

20,000 names. Analysis provides clues to the culture and national origins of

the dominant planter population who were the major name-givers but also

include many names with distinctive Jamaican "creole" meanings. Today,

Kingston, May Pen, Rio Bueno, Me No Sen You No Come, George's

Plain Mountain and Content, names derived from a variety of sources, are

all equally Jamaican and equally fascinating. Jamaican Place Names is written

for both the scholar and the general reader with an interest in the island's

landscapes and history.