Chicago's Indigenous Roots: Places Named from Native American Languages

Chicago's map reads like a history book of the Great Lakes tribes. From neighborhoods to rivers, dozens of place names trace back to Potawatomi, Miami-Illinois, and other Indigenous languages—though French intermediaries often reshaped them along the way.

Direct Indigenous Origins

• Chicago — From Miami-Illinois shikaakwa ("wild garlic," "stinky onion," or "great skunk"), referencing the ramp plants that once carpeted the riverbanks.
• Kankakee County — From Potawatomi Kekionga, meaning "swamp water."
• Shabbona Park — Honors Potawatomi Chief Shabbona, who resisted U.S. removal policies in the 1830s.
• Ontonagon Avenue — Named for a historic Potawatomi village.
• Wabash Avenue — From a Miami-Illinois village at the Des Plaines River–Lake Michigan junction.
• Sauganash — Community area named for the Sauk chief Sauganash, an 18th-century French ally.
• Matteson — From Potawatomi matteasek, "he has a black bear."

French-Mediated Names

• Des Plaines River / Des Plaines (city) — French déplaines ("without trees"), describing the open prairie landscape.
• Calumet / Calumet Park — French calumet, the ceremonial peace pipe used by regional tribes.

These names endure as quiet testaments to the peoples who stewarded this land long before the city's incorporation.