Susquehanna
/ˌsʌskwəˈhænə/noun
A major river in the northeastern United States, flowing through New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.
Did you know?The name is generally traced to a Lenape/Algonquian source meaning something like “muddy river” or “crooked river,” showing how colonial spellings preserved an Indigenous sound-world that English never fully captured.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Colonial
Algonquian
*siskëw-hanna*
“Reconstructed Indigenous source often associated with a muddy, winding river”
16th–17th Century
Lenape
Susquehannock / related forms
“Names used for the river and the people living in the region”
17th Century
English
Susquehanna
“Colonial English spelling of the river name”
Modern English
English
Susquehanna
“The established name of the river and places named after it”
Explore more surprising origins