Raritan
/ˈrærɪtən/noun
A name used for a river, bay, region, and Indigenous people in New Jersey, derived from a Lenape ethnonym or place-name.
Did you know?Raritan was recorded by Dutch colonists in several spellings, and scholars still debate whether it originally referred to the Indigenous Raritan people or to a branching river landscape.
Etymological Timeline
Before European contact
Lenape
Raritān
“An Indigenous ethnonym or place-name; the precise original meaning is uncertain.”
17th Century
Dutch
Raritan
“A colonial spelling used for the Raritan people, river, and surrounding region.”
17th Century
English
Raritan
“An English colonial form adopted from Dutch and Indigenous names.”
18th Century
English
Raritan
“A geographic name applied to the river, bay, and settlements in New Jersey.”
Modern English
English
Raritan
“A proper name for places and waterways associated with central New Jersey.”
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