HISTORY: The Origins of Palm Beach County's Town Names

What's in a name? When it comes to towns and cities in Palm Beach County, the name could reflect its founder, or the place its original residents moved from — or the name could've been drawn out of a hat. (Can you guess which one that was without looking?)

The county's newest municipality, established in 2016, was named by the developers behind the community and a town more than a century old had its name amended by residential vote in 2019.

Here's a quick look at local town names, courtesy of The Palm Beach Post's "Post Time" local history column reported in 2019 by retired staffer Eliot Kleinberg:

Atlantis: Developers picked an exotic name, that of the lost continent, to attract buyers, and get the town at the top of alphabetical lists.

Belle Glade: Residents submitted names; the winner was a play off "Belle of the Glades," or from "Glade Bell," the name of a local ferry boat.

Boca Raton: Originally Boca de los Ratones, or "mouth of the mice." Some say it was named for where sharp rocks gnawed at ships' docking ropes. According to the Boca Raton Historical Society, there is such an inlet, but it sits in what is present-day Miami Beach. Mapmakers goofed.

Boynton Beach: The town of Boynton was named for settler Nathan Smith Boynton. In 1931, the adjacent barrier island split from Boynton Beach and, in 1939, it renamed itself Ocean Ridge, for its high ground. Two years later, Boynton became Boynton Beach.

Briny Breezes: The mobile home park wanted to play off the adjacent ocean.

Cloud Lake: The tiny town near Palm Beach International Airport played off a description local indigenous people used for the area.

Delray Beach: It originally was named Linton but was renamed for a Detroit neighborhood believed to have been settled by a Mexican and named from the Spanish for "of the king."

Glen Ridge: A resident of the tiny town near PBIA noted a canal bank formed a ridge and the main street was surrounded by trees that gave the appearance of a wooded glen.

Golf: The village near Boynton Beach was settled by former residents of Golf, Illinois, then home of the Western Golf Association.

Greenacres: When it was founded in 1926, the name was drawn from a hat. In 1987, residents suggested a change because of the television comedy "Green Acres," but the Town Council declined. Residents voted in 1990 to remove "City."

Gulf Stream: It's considered the closest land area to the famed offshore current.

Haverhill: It is named for Haverhill, Massachusetts, near Boston, the original home of some early settlers.

Highland Beach: The small town north of Boca Raton features a coastal ridge.

Hypoluxo: Once the name of Lake Worth, the body of water that's now the Intracoastal Waterway in central Palm Beach County, it's from a Seminole word for "water all around, can't get out." Before the Palm Beach Inlet was dug, the lake was closed in.

Jupiter, Jupiter Inlet Colony and Juno Beach: Mapmakers noted the native settlement of Hobe (HO-bay) and thought it was the Spanish pronunciation of Jove, the Latin counterpart of the Greek god Zeus, who also went by Jupiter. When a sister settlement sprung up, it was named Juno for Jupiter's wife. It burned in 1894, and the town of Juno Beach formed in 1953. For a time, Jupiter and Juno were stops on a small rail line dubbed the Celestial Railroad, and in between were stops including Venus and Mars.

Lake Clarke Shores: In the late 19th century, a fishing lodge owned by the C.J. Clarke family of Pittsburgh overlooked the site.

Lake Park: Originally named Kelsey City, for developer Harry Kelsey. When he went bust and left, residents opted for a name that reflected adjacent Lake Worth and a nearby park.

Lake Worth Beach: William Jenkins Worth, leader of American troops in the Second Seminole War (1835-42), ended the conflict by summarily declaring it over. The city's original name was Lake Worth; residents voted to add "Beach" in March 2019.

Lantana: Incorporated in 1921, it was named for wild flower common to the region.

Loxahatchee Groves: Named for the nearby waterway. In Seminole and related languages, Loxa is "turtle" and Hatchee "river."

Manalapan: Named by settlers from the New Jersey town of the same name established more than 80 years prior.

Mangonia Park: The original settlement was near West Palm Beach's Northwood neighborhood. It later was swallowed by the city. The present town, about 2 miles to the northwest, was founded in 1953, and wanted "Magnolia Park," but the state said the name was taken and unilaterally assigned Mangonia Park, for the nearby lake.

Pahokee: The town on Lake Okeechobee comes from the Seminole for "grassy waters."

Palm Beach: It was named in 1886 for the many palm trees that sprang up after the Spanish ship Providencia wrecked in 1878 and some 20,000 coconuts were sold as salvage. West Palm Beach, North Palm Beach and South Palm Beach are variations.

Palm Beach Gardens: John D. MacArthur played off his "garden city" vision.

Palm Beach Shores: British hotelier A.O. Edwards wanted a tie to Palm Beach and had a summer home at the Detroit suburb of St. Clair Shores.

Palm Springs: Probably for the resort town of Palm Springs, California.

Riviera Beach: Developers wanted to conjure up images of Europe's coastal resort area.

Royal Palm Beach: Developers planted dozens of royal palms along what they named Royal Palm Beach Boulevard.

South Bay: Believed named for its position at the south end of Lake Okeechobee.

Tequesta: In the 1950s, when the developer created the neighborhood, historians explained the native Americans known as the Tequesta never came that far north, but he said he'd already printed promotional material and wouldn't budge.

Wellington: It's named not for the duke who defeated Napoleon but for the area's settler, New England accountant C. Oliver Wellington (1886-1959). An aviator, Wellington's initials (C.O.W.) are the origins of Flying Cow Ranch road which served as a landing strip for his planes, according to the village's historical society.

Westlake: The county's newest municipality (2016); developers Minto Communities successfully petitioned for incorporation, and picked the name, even before the first shovel was turned.