Central Ohio place names with Native American roots

• The Ohio History Connection helped us find a few examples.

Ohio: From "ohi:yo," a Seneca word meaning "great river."

Gahanna: Originally "gahannah," the former Wyandot name of Big Walnut Creek.

• It means "three in one," referencing the confluence of nearby creeks.

Pataskala: The original Delaware name of the Licking River, though its meaning is disputed.

Pickaway: Derives from a division of Shawnee called the Pekowi.

Scioto: Derives from a Wyandot word for "deer," which gathered on the riverbanks — the inspiration for downtown's eccentric riverfront statues.

Hocking: "Hockhocking" is a Delaware word meaning "bottle river," referencing its shape.

Kokosing: A Delaware word meaning "river of little owls" or "place of owls."

Olentangy: Most attribute this name to a Delaware word meaning "river of red face paint."

Yes, but: The Olentangy's origin story is convoluted, as the present-day Big Darby Creek should actually bear its name.

• In 1833, state lawmakers restored some Indigenous river names — and mistakenly gave the present-day Olentangy its name.
• The river's original Delaware name actually referenced its abundant shale used to sharpen tools, which early settlers translated to "whetstone."