Nashua, New Hampshire
/ˈnæʃuə nuː ˈhæmpʃər/noun
A city in southern New Hampshire, United States, named after the Nashua River and the English county of Hampshire.
Did you know?Nashua derives from an Indigenous name recorded in forms such as Nashaway, while New Hampshire was named after Hampshire in England by colonial proprietor John Mason.
Etymological Timeline
Precolonial period
Algonquian
Nashaway / Nashua
“An Indigenous name associated with the Nashua River; its precise original meaning is disputed in surviving sources.”
17th Century
English colonial usage
Nashaway River
“The English recorded and adapted the Indigenous river name in forms including Nashaway.”
1629
English
Hampshire
“John Mason named the colony after Hampshire, an English county.”
18th Century
English
New Hampshire
“The colonial province became known as New Hampshire to distinguish it from Hampshire in England.”
1746
English
Nashua
“The settlement was incorporated under the name Nashua.”
Modern English
English
Nashua, New Hampshire
“The modern city name combines the Indigenous river designation with the English-derived state name.”