Tallahassee
/ˌtæləˈhæsi/noun
The capital city of Florida, and the county seat of Leon County.
Did you know?The name is widely understood to come from Muskogean languages, likely Creek/Seminole, and is often interpreted as meaning “old fields” or “abandoned fields,” preserving a landscape memory long before the city existed.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian
Muskogean
talahasi / talahassee (reconstructed)
“‘old fields’ or ‘abandoned fields’”
18th Century
Creek/Seminole
Tallahassee
“A place name used for an old settlement or cleared field area”
1824
English
Tallahassee
“Chosen as the name of the new Florida territorial capital”
Modern English
English
Tallahassee
“The capital city of Florida”
Explore more surprising origins