What has meaning in a place name? Everything– When it’s your country.
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Recently, a little known event occurred in Southern Europe. The government of Macedonia voted to officially change the country’s name to North Macedonia. Why does this matter? Because it’s all about place and perceptions.
The Importance of a Name: What does Your Name Convey to the World?
Greenland was cleverly named by Eric the Red. It was his early real estate scheme to bring Viking settlers from Norway (after he was kicked out of Iceland). Yes, it was green on the shore, but the vast majority of Greenland is and was a glacier of ice.
Names mean everything. When you establish a location, a destination, or a brand, your name distinguishes you. How you name a place creates a sense of connection and authenticity. This is why place branding is a whole industry not only connected with travel and hospitality, but also with housing development, downtowns, neighborhood districts, and shopping destinations.
The key to naming a place is what are you referencing? What is it that connects people to this place? How can a name speak to both its residents and workers and those who travel to visit the area?
Names that Work and Names that Don’t
The recently renamed downtown San Francisco district of The East Cut (formerly the historic Spanish name of Rincon) has not stuck. No one uses it except the business improvement district that put up banners that often puzzle people as they walk by them on the street. Actually, the area is mostly referred to as the Transbay District because of the new Transbay Transit Center.
On the other hand, the sleepy village of Yerba Buena was renamed by William Richardson, an early California pioneer, who changed the name to San Francisco in 1837 after San Francisco Bay. He was tired of hearing from so many sea captains entering the bay that they did not know the name of their small waterfront town, however all the navigation charts clearly showed San Francisco Bay. He understood simplicity was the key and wanted to make sure the sailing ships arriving through the Golden Gate knew that their first stop had to be San Francisco, same as the bay, hense the name change.
Names of Places: Keeping it Authentic
With North Macedonia’s renaming, a huge opportunity occurred for the country: it was now allowed to enter the process of becoming a member of the European Union. Why was this simple name change so important? Think Alexander the Great the ultimate Macedonian.
When the original state of Yugoslavia dissolved in the 1990s, it became a series of smaller nation-states of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia, Montenegro, and Kosovo to name a few. The area north of Greece, a regionally multi-ethnic place, renamed itself Macedonia. This immediately triggered outrage in Greece because the region of northern Greece was already known as Macedonia the birthplace of Alexander the Great, the cultural icon of the Greeks. It also caused confusion when referring to the place name of Macedonia; do you mean the region in northern Greece or the nation-state to the north of Greece? Who gets brand recognition?
After almost 20 years of bickering, negotiating and discussing, a deal was worked out. The nation of Macedonia changed its name to North Macedonia, distinguishing it from the home of Alexander the Great and allowing the country to enter the EU.
This significant yet small event teaches us that names of places mean a lot and can mean nothing if not authentic, memorable and frankly a good story. Something to keep in mind when creating your new destinations.
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