Hackensack
/ˈhækənˌsæk/noun
A city and river in northeastern New Jersey, named from a Lenape ethnonym or place-name.
Did you know?The name was recorded by Dutch settlers in several spellings, while its precise Lenape meaning remains disputed rather than securely translating as the popular “stony ground.”
Etymological Timeline
Before European colonization
Lenape
Hākhàkèsak
“A Lenape name associated with the local people or place; the precise original sense is uncertain.”
17th Century
Dutch
Achqueesacky / Hackensack
“Colonial spellings used for the Lenape community and the surrounding region.”
1680s
Dutch-English
Hackensack
“A recorded place-name for the settlement and nearby river in northeastern New Jersey.”
18th Century
English
Hackensack
“An established English geographic name for the town and river.”
Modern English
English
Hackensack
“A city, river, and wider regional place-name in New Jersey.”