Every state has its share of strangely named towns, and Kentucky is no different. We have some uniquely named places scattered from border to border. The Appalachians are home to some of the strangest titles, but the rest of the Bluegrass has quite a few as well. Can you think of any strange town names in Kentucky? Here are 19 images of the quirkiest town names in Kentucky, plus a few extra oddly named communities thrown in:

  1. Booger Branch is home to some amazing forestry and rolling hills of green. We also have towns named Strunk, Slippa, Paw Paw, Whoopie Hill… and Ruin.

Deb Jacobs If you think this town name is gross, well, it’s snot. Booger is actually a word that came into existence in the late nineteenth century. Believe it or not, Booger is also a surname, and the family has its own coat of arms.

  1. Rabbit Hash is a small country town where the General Store still gathers a crowd. It is rumored the name came from a dish that saved the citizens from starvation during a flood.

Little Things Mama

  1. Marrowbone is one of Kentucky’s Appalachian communities that is enduring mountain top removal, as seen in the image.

Wiki This area is actually quite lovely, and Marrowbone is the kind of community where everyone knows everyone else. After all, you can’t help but know your neighbors when there’s only 217 of them in total!

  1. Big Beaver Lick was a fur trading post from 1780 to 1820. It was initially known as “Beaverlick”, all one word, but is located along Big Bone Creek. Thus, residents changed the name to Big Beaver Lick and separated it into 3 words.

Marianne Harrison

  1. Black Bottom Kentucky is in the hills of Harlan County.

Nttend The residents are pretty quiet about how the name came about. Some say it’s the ample supply of Black Bass.

  1. How did Monkey’s Eyebrow get its name? Legend has it that if you stand on the hill, looking down on the town, it looks just like a monkey’s eyebrow. The lore is very non specific on the type of monkey. There were initially two parts to the town referred to as, “Old Monkey”, and “New Monkey”.

Joel Abroad

  1. Tyewhoppety is thought to be named for the slang term meaning an “un-kept looking person”, or the Shawnee word for “place of no return”.

Tyewhoppety Truth be told, the origin of this community name is disputed. Nonetheless, one thing remains true: it’s a funny word to say. Bonus points if you can say it five times fast!

  1. Possum Trot is a quiet, very rural community located in Marshall County. The residents here have a special kind of serenity not tainted by the factories and pollution of the big cities. The only thing I could find on how Possum Trot got its name… was how they voted down changing it.

Joel Abroad

  1. Cutshin is a quiet town in the Appalachians. For excitement they tend to doing things like Needlepoint, Elk watching and local church music shows.

Phoo Otherwise known as Cut Shin, this area’s nomenclature is as mysterious as many other Kentucky settlements. With a name like cut shin, it’s only natural that tales of ax accidents and incidents with rocks and roots would arise. Perhaps in the area’s early days, something in the local landscape caused many early visitors to walk away with a few extra scars on their shins.

  1. The welcome sign.

Thousandsticks Methodist Church

10A. Thousandsticks is a quiet community in Leslie County that does a lot of activities via the Thousandsticks Methodist Church.

Google Maps Other number oriented town names include, Number One, Three Springs, Seventy Six, and Million.

  1. Black Gnat borders Green County and is lush rolling hills of green. This area is a beautiful county community with plenty of farms. No record of why the town was named, but could be due to the gnats that tends to frequent farming communities.

Beaten Paths

  1. A lick is a salt block given to animals, and a word added to a lot of Kentucky towns. We have Mud Lick, Deer Lick, Paint Lick, Sulpher Lick, Bee Lick,Wolf Lick, and a few others.

Homefinder Lick, like Booger, has an etymological history as a surname. However, this word can also be used to describe a creek, which is the more likely source of most of the names listed above.

  1. Dwarf is near Perry County and was named after a man named Jeremiah Combs and his “notably short stature”.

Jimmy Emerson

  1. Viper, in the Appalachians, is home to the historic trail known as War Trace, which was used by the Cherokee and other Native Americans during travels.

Cocker The renowned folk singer and dulcimer player Jeanie Richie was also born in Viper. There are also towns named Turkey, Parrot, Spider, Beaver, Terrapin, Raccoon, and… Princess.

  1. Pig is a small town in south Edmondson County. The town folk couldn’t decide on a name. The tale goes a resident saw what he thought to be a pig in the road, and they decided to call the town Pig. The people in Pig are pretty private, as photos were elusive. Thus I used a photo honoring how the town was named.

Adrian Pye

  1. Many of us jokingly say Kentucky has a vortex that pulls us back. Perhaps it is in the town of Vortex near Paducah.

Deni Rosenberry The image above is moisture freezing on top of a sewer grate, which looks a lot prettier then it sounds.

  1. Oddville is near Cynthiana and despite its name, is a relaxed, country community. Kentucky is also home to Blandville, Shopville and Fearsville.

Wiki

  1. Hippo is in Floyd County and was named after Bee Madison “Hippo” Craft, a local resident.

2TonyB Hippo stood for hypochondriac, and Bee was reported to be a most annoying one. Nonetheless, this figure has become an important part of local history.

  1. California Kentucky in Campbell County was so named because part of it lies near a river that runs through California. We also have Paris and London Kentucky.

Juan Alberto Garcia Rivera

Though there are only 20 images, over 40 strange town names in Kentucky are listed in the text above. It would have been easy to keep going. Kentucky people have bestowed some very “colorful” titles to their communities over the years. Chatting with local Elders can provide a wealth of information. Some are quite open about the town name origins. If you live in or know of a unique name I missed, please feel free to mention it in the comments. The Bluegrass State is a virtual treasure trove of oddly named places.

Deb Jacobs

If you think this town name is gross, well, it’s snot. Booger is actually a word that came into existence in the late nineteenth century. Believe it or not, Booger is also a surname, and the family has its own coat of arms.

Little Things Mama

Wiki

This area is actually quite lovely, and Marrowbone is the kind of community where everyone knows everyone else. After all, you can’t help but know your neighbors when there’s only 217 of them in total!

Marianne Harrison

Nttend

The residents are pretty quiet about how the name came about. Some say it’s the ample supply of Black Bass.

Joel Abroad

Tyewhoppety

Truth be told, the origin of this community name is disputed. Nonetheless, one thing remains true: it’s a funny word to say. Bonus points if you can say it five times fast!

Phoo

Otherwise known as Cut Shin, this area’s nomenclature is as mysterious as many other Kentucky settlements. With a name like cut shin, it’s only natural that tales of ax accidents and incidents with rocks and roots would arise. Perhaps in the area’s early days, something in the local landscape caused many early visitors to walk away with a few extra scars on their shins.

Thousandsticks Methodist Church

Google Maps

Other number oriented town names include, Number One, Three Springs, Seventy Six, and Million.

Beaten Paths

Homefinder

Lick, like Booger, has an etymological history as a surname. However, this word can also be used to describe a creek, which is the more likely source of most of the names listed above.

Jimmy Emerson

Cocker

The renowned folk singer and dulcimer player Jeanie Richie was also born in Viper. There are also towns named Turkey, Parrot, Spider, Beaver, Terrapin, Raccoon, and… Princess.

Adrian Pye

Deni Rosenberry

The image above is moisture freezing on top of a sewer grate, which looks a lot prettier then it sounds.

2TonyB

Hippo stood for hypochondriac, and Bee was reported to be a most annoying one. Nonetheless, this figure has become an important part of local history.

Juan Alberto Garcia Rivera

Think these town names are strange? Just wait until you hear the weirdest words and phrases in Kentucky!

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The OIYS Visitor Center

Strange Town Names In Kentucky August 02, 2020 Nikki Rhoades What are the most charming small towns in Kentucky? Many of the oddly named destinations listed above are, in actuality, charming small towns. You’ll have to visit these unique places yourself to find out, but there are a few small towns in Kentucky that we can’t help but recommend. Midway is like a real life train town, and Owensboro is a haven for lovers of barbecue. What is the smallest town in Kentucky? According to Kentucky demographics, the smallest community in the state is South Park View. This community has only seven residents! What is the largest city in Kentucky?  Louisville is the largest city in Kentucky, boasting over 620,000 residents.

The OIYS Visitor Center

Strange Town Names In Kentucky

August 02, 2020

Nikki Rhoades

What are the most charming small towns in Kentucky? Many of the oddly named destinations listed above are, in actuality, charming small towns. You’ll have to visit these unique places yourself to find out, but there are a few small towns in Kentucky that we can’t help but recommend. Midway is like a real life train town, and Owensboro is a haven for lovers of barbecue. What is the smallest town in Kentucky? According to Kentucky demographics, the smallest community in the state is South Park View. This community has only seven residents! What is the largest city in Kentucky?  Louisville is the largest city in Kentucky, boasting over 620,000 residents.

The OIYS Visitor Center

The OIYS Visitor Center

Many of the oddly named destinations listed above are, in actuality, charming small towns. You’ll have to visit these unique places yourself to find out, but there are a few small towns in Kentucky that we can’t help but recommend. Midway is like a real life train town, and Owensboro is a haven for lovers of barbecue.

What is the smallest town in Kentucky?

According to Kentucky demographics, the smallest community in the state is South Park View. This community has only seven residents!

What is the largest city in Kentucky? 

Louisville is the largest city in Kentucky, boasting over 620,000 residents.