Today I Learned (TIL)

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TIL America was named after a obscure German city (www.behindthename.com)

submitted 2 years ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Many people know that Amerika was named after Amerigo Vespucci. It turns out tha Amerigo is the Medieval Italian name for Emmerich, a rather uninspiring German city close to the Dutch border.

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Emmerich is also just an old-fashioned German name. I would assume that the name Amerigo is derived from the name Emmerich, not the town Emmerich.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

Fair enough. I do kind of ignore that, as I live quite close to said town, and that's a nice story starter, Like how Rome and jpw not Remulus but Romulus got to name the city.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

Could also be after Richard Amerike a welsh trade mogul.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Why would it be named after an obscure city?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

I phrased it a bit too acutely, it shares it's namesake.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

It's not named after the city, it's named after the guy who was named after the obscure city

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

Hmm. I read the Templar story. Merica.