When you're just getting started with genealogical research, resources like atlases, country maps, and gazetteers are helpful for:
The Map Library collection contains these resources to help you get started!
A gazetteer is a place name dictionary or index used to search the history of a place. This is particularly helpful for learning about places whose names or boundaries have changed over time or for names with variant spellings. If a place name has changed over time, you can incorporate its other names in your search. You can search OneSearch with the name of the country or region you are interested in and the word "gazetteer" or "place names."
Some gazetteers provide worldwide coverage. These are a few examples:
Alternate Names of Places by
This new type of geographical dictionary lists past and present alternate names of more than 7,000 places. It focuses particularly on placenames with official or semiofficial status rather than nicknames or colloquial abbreviations. Alternate placenames are important for historical and geographical reasons, and although they predominate in countries that have undergone wars and invasions, such alternate names can equally well result from political or administrative changes. In addition to the factual data related to each entry, the dictionary also comments on names and their origins where appropriate. Appendices focus on placenames in non-English languages and on places which have been renamed in fictional works.
Handbook of Geographical Nicknames by
New in Paper Can you identify the "Bride of the Adriatic"?, the "Home of Bock Beer"?, the "Eye of Greece"?, the "Home of the Great Bed"?, the "Sick Man of Europe"? These nicknames and many others appellations of countries, cities, mountains, rivers, capes and places of historical interest are identified in Harold Sharp's concise but thorough volume. Arranged in one alphabetical listing, the book includes nicknames cross-referenced to the official name of each unit, shown as a main entry. Handbook of Geographical Nicknames will be of use to students of geography and reference librarians in both academic and public libraries since it brings together in one volume difficult-to-locate information scattered throughout the voluminous literature of the subject. Cloth version previously published in 1980."
Other gazetteers focus on certain regions. For example:
A Dictionary of London Place Names by
From Abbey Road to Yeading Brook and Garlick Hill to Puddle Dock, this new authoritative and absorbing dictionary covers over 1,700 names of streets, places, and areas of Greater London. Here, readers can discover the linguistic and historical origins of these place names and their significance, following the development of the city from pre-Celtic times to the present day. This is an excellent reference guide for local historians and is fascinating reading for both Londoners and visitors to the city.
Colorado Place Names by
Third edition includes new cities and counties. An indispensable guide.
A portion of a map of Central Europe from about 1477 (from The Historical Atlas by William R. Shepherd, 1911).
