Merrimack
/ˈmɛrɪmæk/noun
A river in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, a town in New Hampshire, and a name derived from an Indigenous place-name.
Did you know?The name was recorded in several colonial spellings, reflecting English attempts to represent an Indigenous Algonquian pronunciation rather than a fixed English word.
Etymological Timeline
Before European contact
Abenaki-related Algonquian
Uncertain Indigenous form
“The original form is not securely reconstructed; it referred to the Merrimack River region.”
17th Century
Indigenous/Colonial records
Merrimack and variant spellings
“English colonists recorded the river’s Indigenous name in multiple forms.”
1670s
English
Merrimack
“A recorded name for the major river flowing through present-day New Hampshire and Massachusetts.”
18th Century
English
Merrimack
“The spelling became established in colonial maps and place names.”
Modern English
English
Merrimack
“A proper name for the river, the town of Merrimack, New Hampshire, and related institutions and locations.”
Explore more surprising origins