The Most Popular Town and City Names

 Bristol, Kentucky Doesn't Exist - Tell That to Al Roker

I was watching the “Today” show the other day when weatherman Al Roker reported a storm was barreling down the nation’s midsection, all the way from Chicago to – here he looked at his map and saw a city labeled Bristol – “all the way to Bristol, Kentucky.”

Huh? I lived in Kentucky for 25 years and I never heard of a Bristol, Kentucky, much less a Bristol, Kentucky big enough to get mentioned on national TV by none other than Al Roker.

On the map it was clear, to me at least, that it was Bristol, Tennessee.

Al may – or may not – know his weather but he clearly doesn’t know his geography. Oh well, as he noted on the show, he’s only been doing this job since 1996.

I was telling this story to my friend Dick and he said, “Maybe Al’s right. Maybe it is Bristol, Kentucky. Bristol is supposed to be the most common city name in the country.”

Then Dick launched into the story of the song “Bristol Stomp.” Supposedly when the Dovells recorded the song in 1961 they wanted to make it about a common city, a city name that was in every state. Sell more records that way. And that’s why they settled on Bristol.

Another friend who had tagged along said she had always heard that Greeneville was the most common name, that every state had a Greeneville/Greenville.

For my two cents I said that I thought Springfield was the most common city name, that’s why “The Simpsons” used the name.

It was off to the internet where I knew my only challenge would be figuring out the right combination of words to Google. My first try – “most common city name in u.s.” - turned out to work. It brought up a Wikipedia page titled “List of the most common U.S. place names.”

At the top of the list with 50 entries was…drum roll…Greenville.

Almost every state has a Greenville (two don’t because New York has three). Hawaii and Washington are the only two states without a Greenville.

I thought maybe Bristol would be second.

Franklin was second. A distant second with 30.

Clinton was third (29).

My Springfield was fourth (28).

Bristol didn’t make the list.

And there isn’t a Bristol, Kentucky either, Al.

 

Wikipedia also has a page named “List of places called Bristol.”

There are 29 places named Bristol in the U.S. but Bristol didn’t qualify for the “List of the most common U.S. place names” because five are “unincorporated communities,” eight are “towns,” three are “townships,” three are “populated places,” one is a “borough” and one, the Bristol in Nevada, is categorized as a “ghost town.”

Bristol, Tennessee and Bristol, Virginia are listed as separate entities.

 

I wrote that column ten years ago. In the intervening decade the moles at Wikipedia have been working to update and improve the list. (Nothing really changed except the criteria.)

So as of July 14, 2023, here are the most common place names:

Washington - 91

Franklin - 45

Clinton - 39

Arlington - 38

Centerville - 38

Lebanon - 35

Georgetown - 35

Springfield - 35

Chester - 32

Fairview - 32

Greenville - 31

Bristol - 29

Dayton - 28

Dover - 28