A while ago we brought you 13 weird town names in Nebraska. These are the towns that you can’t help but ask “What in the world…?” when you pass by and see their welcome signs. We have far more than just those 13, though. These are another 16 Nebraska towns with unusual names.

  1. Ayr

By Ammodramus - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22587444 The Adams County village of fewer than 100 people was named for a railroad official, Doctor Ayr.

  1. Burr

flickr/Justin Meissen This village in Otoe County was named for a grove of bur oak trees nearby.

  1. Anselmo

By Ammodramus - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10669594 This Custer County town was founded when the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad came to the area. It was named after railroad engineer Anselmo B. Smith.

  1. Colon

By Ammodramus - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10242913 As you can imagine, there are plenty of jokes about how this village in Saunders County got its name. They’re all funnier than the real story: it was named after Colon, Michigan, which was named after Colón, Panama.

  1. Dix

By Publichall - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10422597 This Kimball County village is the cool younger sibling of Dixon, Illinois. It was named after that city because an early settler hailed from Dixon.

  1. Gross

By Ammodramus - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11800256 This Boyd County Village bears the distinction of having the second-smallest population in the state with just two people. (Monowi has only one.) The village was named for Ben Gross, who had a general store there in the early days.

  1. Lushton

By Ammodramus - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28850546 People have a lot of fun stealing the “Lushton” sign, but its origins are pretty ordinary. It was named after a railroad official.

  1. Magnet

By Ammodramus - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11800054 This Cedar County village got its name from founder B.E. Smith, who believed the town would attract people like a magnet attracts iron.

  1. Minatare

By Ammodramus - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25726197 Located in Scotts Bluff County, Minatare is derived from the name of a sub-branch of the Sioux called Minnataree.

  1. Nenzel

Google Maps This tiny village in Cherry County was named for George Nenzel, the man who originally owned the town site.

  1. Ong

By Ammodramus - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11835266 “Ong” is fun to say over and over, isn’t it? The Clay County village was named for the man who originally owned the land it is on, Judge J.E. Ong.

  1. Ord

By Ammodramus - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11658981 The lovely city of Ord, in Valley County, was named in honor of Edward Ord, a Civil War general.

  1. Surprise

By Ammodramus - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11623814 This Butler County village got its name when an early gristmill owner was pleasantly surprised to find so much waterpower available there.

  1. Wellfleet

By Ammodramus - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16992842 This Lincoln County village of 78 people was named after Wellfleet, Massachusetts.

  1. Winnetoon

By Ammodramus - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9519855 This tiny village in Knox County is the only town in the world to bear the name. A railroad official named it after a friend’s farm in Wisconsin.

  1. Worms

By Ammodramus - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30206673 Worms, in Merrick County, was named after the city in Germany of the same name.

Between this list and the first, we’ve uncovered a lot of Nebraska’s strangely named towns…but not all of them. What are your favorite weird Nebraska town names?

By Ammodramus - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22587444

The Adams County village of fewer than 100 people was named for a railroad official, Doctor Ayr.

flickr/Justin Meissen

This village in Otoe County was named for a grove of bur oak trees nearby.

By Ammodramus - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10669594

This Custer County town was founded when the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad came to the area. It was named after railroad engineer Anselmo B. Smith.

By Ammodramus - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10242913

As you can imagine, there are plenty of jokes about how this village in Saunders County got its name. They’re all funnier than the real story: it was named after Colon, Michigan, which was named after Colón, Panama.

By Publichall - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10422597

This Kimball County village is the cool younger sibling of Dixon, Illinois. It was named after that city because an early settler hailed from Dixon.

By Ammodramus - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11800256

This Boyd County Village bears the distinction of having the second-smallest population in the state with just two people. (Monowi has only one.) The village was named for Ben Gross, who had a general store there in the early days.

By Ammodramus - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28850546

People have a lot of fun stealing the “Lushton” sign, but its origins are pretty ordinary. It was named after a railroad official.

By Ammodramus - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11800054

This Cedar County village got its name from founder B.E. Smith, who believed the town would attract people like a magnet attracts iron.

By Ammodramus - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25726197

Located in Scotts Bluff County, Minatare is derived from the name of a sub-branch of the Sioux called Minnataree.

Google Maps

This tiny village in Cherry County was named for George Nenzel, the man who originally owned the town site.

By Ammodramus - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11835266

“Ong” is fun to say over and over, isn’t it? The Clay County village was named for the man who originally owned the land it is on, Judge J.E. Ong.

By Ammodramus - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11658981

The lovely city of Ord, in Valley County, was named in honor of Edward Ord, a Civil War general.

By Ammodramus - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11623814

This Butler County village got its name when an early gristmill owner was pleasantly surprised to find so much waterpower available there.

By Ammodramus - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16992842

This Lincoln County village of 78 people was named after Wellfleet, Massachusetts.

By Ammodramus - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9519855

This tiny village in Knox County is the only town in the world to bear the name. A railroad official named it after a friend’s farm in Wisconsin.

By Ammodramus - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30206673

Worms, in Merrick County, was named after the city in Germany of the same name.

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