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United States Board on Geographic Names
United States Board on Geographic Names
United States Board on Geographic Names
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United States Board on Geographic Names
Board overview
FormedSeptember 4, 1890; 135 years ago (1890-09-04) (first form)
1945 (second form)
Board executives
  • Marcus Allsup, Chair
  • Mike Tischler, Vice-Chair
Websitewww.usgs.gov/us-board-on-geographic-names Edit this at Wikidata

The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a federal body operating under the United States secretary of the interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the federal government of the United States.[1]

History

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Following the American Civil War, more and more American settlers began moving westward, prompting the U.S. federal government to pursue some sort of consistency for referencing landmarks on maps and in official documents.[2] As such, on January 8, 1890, Thomas Corwin Mendenhall, superintendent of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey Office, wrote to 10 noted geographers "to suggest the organization of a Board made up of representatives from the different Government services interested, to which may be referred any disputed question of geographical orthography."[3] President Benjamin Harrison signed executive order 28[4] on September 4, 1890, establishing the Board on Geographical Names.[4] "To this Board shall be referred all unsettled questions concerning geographic names. The decisions of the Board are to be accepted [by federal departments] as the standard authority for such matters."[3][4] The board was given authority to resolve all unsettled questions concerning geographic names. Decisions of the board were accepted as binding by all departments and agencies of the federal government.

In 1906, the board's powers were expanded by President Theodore Roosevelt from establishing consistency to being responsible for standardizing geographic names for use across the federal government.[2]

The board has since undergone several name changes.[5]

In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt dissolved the board and transferred its responsibilities directly to the Department of the Interior.[5][2] Shortly after the end of World War II congress reversed this decision and restored the board.[2]

The Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names was established in 1943 as the Special Committee on Antarctic Names (SCAN).[6] In 1963, the Advisory Committee on Undersea Features was started for standardization of names of undersea features.[7][8]

Its present form derives from a 1947 law, Public Law 80-242.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the board pursued a policy to eliminate the use of derogatory terms related to Japanese and Black people.[2]

Deb Haaland, U.S. secretary of the interior under the Biden administration, used the board to eliminate what she considered "offensive" and "racist" names such as changing the name of Mount Evans to Mount Blue Sky due to its namesake's, John Evans participation in the 1864 Sand Creek massacre or the removal of the word "squaw" from nearly 650 place names on U.S. federal lands as part of an effort to reckon with the nation's racist past.[2][9]

The Board was assigned notable provisions of the 2025 executive order Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness during the second presidency of Donald Trump.[10]

Operation

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The 1969 BGN publication Decisions on Geographic Names in the United States stated the agency's chief purpose as:

[Names are] submitted for decisions to the Board on Geographical names by individuals, private organizations, or government agencies. It is the Board's responsibility to render formal decisions on new names, proposed changes in names, and names which are in conflict. [The decisions] define the spellings and applications of the names for use on maps and other publications of Federal agencies[5]

The board has developed principles, policies, and procedures governing the use of domestic and foreign geographic names, including underseas.[7] The BGN also deals with names of geographical features in Antarctica via its Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names.

The Geographic Names Information System, developed by the BGN in cooperation with the US Geological Survey, includes topographic map names and bibliographic references. The names of books and historic maps which confirm the feature or place name are cited. Variant names, alternatives to official federal names for a feature, are also recorded.

The BGN has members from six federal departments as well as the Central Intelligence Agency, the US Government Publishing Office, the Library of Congress, and the US Postal Service. The BGN rules on hundreds of naming decisions annually and stores over two million geographical records in its databases at geonames.usgs.gov. State and local governments and private mapping organizations usually follow the BGN's decisions.

The BGN has an executive committee and two permanent committees with full authority: the 10- to 15-member Domestic Names Committee and the 8- to 10-member Foreign Names Committee. Both comprise government employees only. Each maintains its own database.[3]

The BGN does not create place names but responds to proposals for names from federal agencies; state, local, and tribal governments; and the public. Any person or organization, public or private, may make inquiries or request the board to render formal decisions on proposed new names, proposed name changes, or names that are in conflict. Generally, the BGN defers federal name use to comply with local usage. There are a few exceptions. For example, in rare cases where a locally used name is very offensive, the BGN may decide against adoption of the local name for federal use.[11]

Special situations

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The BGN does not translate terms, but instead accurately uses foreign names in the Roman alphabet. For non-Roman languages, the BGN uses transliteration systems or creates them for less well-known languages.[3]

The BGN does not recognize the use of the possessive apostrophe and has only granted an exception five times during its history, including one for Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.[a][13][14]

In federal mapping and names collection efforts, there is often a phase lag where a delay occurs in adoption of a locally used name. Sometimes the delay is several decades. Volunteers in the Earth Science Corps are used to assist the US Geological Survey in collecting names of geographic features.[citation needed]

Other authorities

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  • The United States Census Bureau defines census designated places, which are a subset of locations in the Geographic Names Information System.
  • The names of post offices have historically been used to back up claims about the name of a community. US Postal Service Publication 28 gives standards for addressing mail. In this publication, the Postal Service defines two-letter state abbreviations, street identifiers such as boulevard (BLVD) and street (ST), and secondary identifiers such as suite (STE).

Publications

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The BGN currently publishes names on its website. In the past, the BGN issued its decisions in various publications under different titles at different intervals with various information included.[5] In 1933, the BGN published a significant consolidated report of all decisions from 1890 to 1932 in its Sixth Report of the United States Geographic Board 1890–1932.[15] For many years, the BGN published a quarterly report under the title Decisions on Geographic Names.[5]

See also

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References

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[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

United States Board on Geographic Names

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from Grokipedia
The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a federal interagency body tasked with establishing and maintaining uniform geographic names for use across U.S. government agencies, including domestic, foreign, and Antarctic features. Established in 1890 by President Benjamin Harrison to resolve inconsistencies in names that hindered surveyors, mapmakers, and scientists, the BGN was reorganized in its modern form by Public Law 80-242 in 1947, granting it authority to adjudicate name proposals, disputes, and changes through structured policies and procedures. It maintains the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), a comprehensive database of current and historical physical features in the United States, its territories, and Antarctica, serving as the official federal repository for standardized domestic names. For foreign names, the BGN collaborates with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency to oversee the Geographic Names Server, ensuring consistent romanization and application in official contexts. The board's decisions prioritize long-standing local usage, historical evidence, and federal consistency over ad hoc variations, though it has faced contention in cases involving proposals to alter names deemed derogatory, such as slurs targeting ethnic groups, leading to targeted removals like those directed by the Department of the Interior in 2021 amid broader efforts to address historical linguistic artifacts. These processes underscore the BGN's role as the central authority for toponymy, balancing empirical standardization with evolving policy directives while navigating local opposition and procedural reviews.

History

Founding and Early Development (1890–1906)

The United States Board on Geographic Names was established on September 4, 1890, by Executive Order 28 signed by President Benjamin Harrison, in response to widespread confusion over geographic nomenclature resulting from post-Civil War exploration, mining, and settlement, particularly in the western territories. This disorder had led to multiple competing names for the same features across federal surveys, maps, and documents, hindering coordination among agencies like the United States Geological Survey and the Coast and Geodetic Survey. The Board's initial mandate was to adjudicate disputes over domestic place names and promote uniformity in federal usage, with decisions binding on all government departments. Preceding the formal establishment, Superintendent Thomas C. Mendenhall of the Coast and Geodetic Survey convened meetings in March 1890 with representatives from key federal entities, including the State Department and Geological Survey, to address inconsistencies in government mapping. Board members served without compensation and developed foundational principles emphasizing deference to long-established local usage while requiring formal Board approval for new or disputed names to ensure standardization. Early operations prioritized resolving conflicts in under-surveyed areas, such as Alaska, where the first report documented 153 decisions alongside 39 for the continental United States. From 1890 to 1906, the Board issued periodic reports compiling decisions, including the First Report (1890–1891) listing approved names, county boundaries, and common terms, and culminating in the Third Report synthesizing activities over the full period. These efforts focused on domestic standardization but occasionally addressed foreign names informally. On January 23, 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt issued Executive Order 399, expanding the Board's authority to systematize all geographic names—domestic and foreign—for federal purposes and to originate names for previously unnamed features, marking a shift toward broader operational scope.

Reestablishment and Expansion (1906–1940s)

In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt issued Executive Order 493 on August 10, redesignating the U.S. Board on Geographic Names as the United States Geographic Board (USGB) and significantly expanding its mandate beyond resolving disputes to proactively standardizing all geographic names for federal use, including approving new names, effecting changes, and uniformizing map and chart symbols across government agencies. This shift emphasized authoritative control over nomenclature to prevent inconsistencies in official documents and publications, reflecting growing federal needs for coordinated mapping amid territorial expansions and administrative complexities. During the subsequent decades, the USGB issued periodic reports and decisions compiling thousands of standardized names, such as the Fifth Report (covering 1890–1920) and the Sixth Report (extending through June 1932), which documented over 20,000 domestic decisions and established principles favoring long-standing local usage while discouraging fanciful or commemorative inventions unless justified by historical precedence. In 1919, its map coordination functions were reassigned to the newly formed Board on Surveys and Maps, allowing the USGB to concentrate on nomenclature, though it continued advising on orthography and symbols. By the 1920s, efforts included compiling a comprehensive gazetteer of U.S. place names, involving voluntary contributions to catalog and resolve variants amid rapid urbanization and infrastructure development. The Board's scope broadened in the 1930s to encompass foreign geographic names, culminating in the First Report on Foreign Geographic Names published in 1932, which outlined transliteration standards for non-Roman scripts to support diplomatic, military, and trade mapping. In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Executive Order abolished the independent USGB and transferred its functions, records, and personnel to a new Board on Geographical Names within the Department of the Interior, integrating it into executive oversight while preserving its standardization authority. Through the 1940s, under Interior auspices, the Board addressed wartime exigencies, such as uniform naming for Pacific and Atlantic features in naval charts, issuing supplemental decisions to accommodate expanded federal intelligence and logistical requirements without statutory permanence until postwar reforms.

Post-World War II Developments and Standardization Efforts (1950s–Present)

Following its reestablishment by Public Law 80-242 in 1947, the United States Board on Geographic Names (USBGN) intensified standardization efforts in the 1950s amid postwar mapping demands from federal agencies, including the Departments of Defense and Interior. The Board formalized advisory relationships with emerging state geographic names boards, such as Virginia's in the 1950s, to incorporate local precedents and resolve domestic conflicts based on historical usage and evidence. These collaborations emphasized principles of perpetuating established local names unless compelling evidence justified change, with the Domestic Names Committee (DNC)—formed in 1947—handling monthly deliberations on proposals. In the 1960s, the USBGN extended its mandate to undersea features, approving name standardizations through specialized processes that prioritized discoverer proposals supported by coordinates and descriptions. By 1976, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the USBGN, initiated a national names depository to centralize data, culminating in the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) as the federal repository for over 2.5 million domestic features by the 1980s. This digital infrastructure enabled public queries and ensured uniformity across USGS topographic maps, Census Bureau products, and other federal outputs, with decisions promulgated via quarterly review lists. Subsequent decades saw international alignments, including 1989 principles with Canada for transboundary features, requiring mutual consent for new names. The USBGN also managed foreign, Antarctic, and undersea names through dedicated committees, resolving thousands of proposals annually while adhering to policies favoring romanized local forms for non-domestic usage. In 2021, Secretary of the Interior Order 3404 classified "squaw" as derogatory, directing the replacement of approximately 650 affected features via expedited DNC processes, reflecting evolving federal sensitivities to historical terminology despite reliance on evidence-based review. These efforts maintained the USBGN's role in promoting orthographic consistency, with public petitions processed through formal briefs evaluating longevity, prominence, and stakeholder input.

Organizational Structure and Governance

Composition and Membership

The United States Board on Geographic Names (USBGN) comprises representatives from federal agencies with responsibilities in geographic information, population, ecology, and public lands management, including the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Homeland Security, the Interior, and State; the Central Intelligence Agency; the Library of Congress; the U.S. Postal Service; and the Government Publishing Office. Each participating agency designates one or more primary members and deputy or alternate members to ensure continuity and expertise in deliberations. Members and deputies are appointed by the heads of their respective agencies for renewable two-year terms, typically aligning with cycles such as October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2025, and serve without additional compensation beyond their regular duties. Appointments emphasize individuals with relevant professional backgrounds in cartography, geography, or related fields, enabling the Board to address standardization needs across domestic, foreign, Antarctic, undersea, and extraterrestrial features. The Board's operational committees, such as the Domestic Names Committee (DNC) and Foreign Names Committee (FNC), draw from this membership pool, with the DNC including representatives from the Departments of the Interior, Commerce, Agriculture, Defense, and Homeland Security, plus the Postal Service, Government Publishing Office, and Library of Congress. Decisions within these bodies, including name approvals or disapprovals, require a simple majority vote of attending members and deputies, formalized through minutes and entry into official databases like the Geographic Names Information System. This structure, codified under Public Law 80-242 in 1947, ensures binding federal consistency while accommodating agency-specific inputs.

Administrative Oversight and Decision-Making Processes

The United States Board on Geographic Names (USBGN) operates under the oversight of the Secretary of the Interior, who holds final approval authority over its actions pursuant to 43 U.S.C. § 364, with operational functions delegated through designated officials. Established by Executive Order in 1890 and formalized by Public Law 80-242 in 1947, the USBGN comprises representatives from federal agencies involved in geographic information, population, ecology, and public land management, ensuring interagency coordination. Secretariat support is provided by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for domestic matters and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) for foreign names, facilitating administrative execution while maintaining the board's binding decisions across the federal government. Decision-making authority is delegated by the USBGN to its primary committees: the Domestic Names Committee (DNC) for names within the 50 states, territories, and associated waters, and the Foreign Names Committee (FNC) for international features excluding the United States and Antarctica. The DNC, supported by USGS staff, researches proposals through case briefs incorporating historical records, local usage, and input from state geographic names authorities, land managers, and affected communities before rendering decisions in the USBGN's name. Similarly, the FNC, with NGA secretariat, standardizes foreign name spellings based on romanization principles and intelligence inputs from agencies like the CIA and Department of State. These committee decisions are formalized as official USBGN rulings and entered into federal databases such as the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) for domestic names. Proposals for name standardization, changes, or disputes—submitted by federal agencies, state/local governments, tribal entities, or the public—are docketed for review at monthly DNC meetings or equivalent FNC processes, with decisions determined by simple majority vote of attending members or deputies. Quarterly review lists publicize proposed actions for comment, and meeting minutes are posted publicly to ensure transparency, though the Secretary of the Interior retains oversight to address special issues via advisory mechanisms if needed. This process prioritizes long-established local usage and evidence-based principles over novelty, with binding effect on all federal mapping and publications once approved.

Mandate and Operations

Core Functions and Standardization Principles

The U.S. Board on Geographic Names (USBGN), established by Public Law 80-242 in 1947 and codified at 43 U.S.C. §§ 364–364f, serves as the federal authority for standardizing geographic names to ensure uniform usage across all government departments and agencies. Its core functions include adjudicating name proposals, resolving conflicts arising from discrepancies in local or historical usage, and approving official names for domestic features within the 50 states, territories, and sovereign areas. The Board maintains the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), a database recording over 2 million domestic features with standardized spellings, coordinates, and variants, which federal entities must reference for maps, publications, and digital products. These responsibilities extend to foreign, Antarctic, and undersea names relevant to U.S. interests, in coordination with agencies like the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Standardization emphasizes non-regulatory consistency rather than imposition of new names, prioritizing empirical evidence from maps, documents, and local practices over arbitrary changes. The Domestic Names Committee (DNC), comprising representatives from departments such as Interior, Commerce, and Defense, convenes monthly to review proposals via Domestic Geographic Name Proposals (DGNPs) and Reports (DGNRs), publishing decisions in quarterly lists for public input before finalization. Official names, once approved, are binding under federal law, superseding variants unless legally overridden by acts of Congress, executive orders, or treaties. Key standardization principles, as outlined in the Board's Domestic Names Principles, Policies, and Procedures, include:
  • Local Usage: Preference for names in present-day local use, evidenced by consistent application on recent maps and signage, unless contradicted by federal policy or legal precedence.
  • Long-Standing Names: Retention of names with 50 or more years of documented usage, absent compelling evidence of error or conflict.
  • Uniqueness: Assignment of one official name per feature to avoid duplication, with variants preserved for historical reference but not for official federal depiction.
  • Orthography and Character Sets: Standardized spelling using extended ASCII characters, with Unicode permitted for Indigenous names on Tribal lands to accommodate diacritics and native scripts.
  • Preservation: Features cannot be "unnamed"; changes require justification, and former names become historical variants in GNIS.
  • Legal Precedence: Names fixed by statute, treaty, or proclamation are immutable without legislative action.
Decisions incorporate input from state, local, and Tribal authorities, with appeals possible through new evidence submission, though reversals are rare and require DNC consensus. This framework promotes causal continuity in naming by favoring verifiable, longstanding usage over subjective reinterpretations, ensuring federal outputs reflect grounded toponymy rather than transient preferences.

Domestic Name Proposals and Resolutions

The Domestic Names Committee (DNC) of the United States Board on Geographic Names (USBGN) oversees the standardization of geographic names for features within the United States and its territories, handling proposals for new names, changes, or corrections submitted by the public, state geographic names authorities, federal agencies, and other stakeholders. Proposals must demonstrate local usage, historical precedence, or compelling justification, such as eliminating redundancies or derogatory terms, and are evaluated against principles prioritizing long-standing local and indigenous usage over commemorative naming unless exceptional circumstances apply. The committee does not initiate changes proactively except in cases of derogatory names or duplications, emphasizing evidence-based decisions to maintain uniformity across federal mapping and records. Proposals are submitted via the official Domestic Geographic Names Report form available on the USGS website, requiring details including the feature's coordinates, proposed name, rationale, supporting evidence like maps or historical documents, and contact information for the proponent. Upon receipt, DNC staff conduct initial research, consulting sources such as the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), state advisory boards, and local governments to assess prevalence of usage and potential conflicts. The process typically involves circulation to relevant state names authorities for comment within 90 days, followed by review by DNC subcommittees or the full executive committee if disputes arise; public input is sought only in contentious cases, ensuring decisions reflect verifiable data rather than unsubstantiated preferences. For features on federal lands, additional coordination with agencies like the National Park Service or Forest Service is required, with proposals rejected if they lack broad local support or violate policies against ephemeral or promotional naming. Resolutions are formalized through board votes, categorized as approved (standardizing the name in GNIS and federal publications), not approved (retaining the existing or variant name), or no action (if insufficient evidence or jurisdiction). As of 2023, the DNC processes hundreds of proposals annually, with approval rates favoring names in established use for at least five years; for instance, commemorative proposals for deceased individuals are considered only for significant figures and unnamed features, limited to one per person. Decisions are binding for federal agencies but non-binding for states, though most align to promote national consistency; appeals are possible via resubmission with new evidence, but the board's emphasis on empirical local usage over political advocacy ensures resolutions prioritize factual continuity. Updates from resolutions are integrated into the GNIS database, which as of October 2025 contains over 2.5 million domestic entries, facilitating standardized geospatial data across government operations.

Foreign and Undersea Names

The Foreign Names Committee of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) standardizes foreign geographic names for consistent use across the Federal government, approving romanized and conventional forms derived from local official names or long-established variants to support mapping, intelligence, and navigation requirements. These decisions prioritize the short-form romanization approved by the BGN's Romanization Committee, ensuring uniformity in U.S. publications while deferring to indigenous orthographies where feasible, with the process originating from expanded responsibilities during World War II to address military mapping needs. Approved names are compiled in the Geographic Names Server (GNS) database, maintained jointly by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the U.S. Geological Survey, which serves as the official repository for over 4.5 million features worldwide excluding the United States and its insular areas. The committee evaluates proposals based on principles outlined in BGN policies, favoring names with historical precedence, official foreign government endorsement, or discoverer attribution, while resolving romanization disputes through transliteration systems developed for specific scripts, such as the BGN/PCGN system for Arabic or Cyrillic. Public access to GNS data has been available since 1994, facilitating updates to reflect geopolitical changes, such as post-Soviet state renamings in the 1990s, though the BGN does not alter foreign sovereignty claims embedded in names. For undersea features, the BGN's Advisory Committee on Undersea Features (ACUF), established in 1962, standardizes names for submarine topography including seamounts, trenches, ridges, and abyssal plains to ensure interoperability in U.S. hydrographic charts, scientific research, and defense applications. ACUF approvals follow BGN principles adapted for oceanic contexts, requiring proposals to include discovery evidence, such as bathymetric surveys or vessel logs, and preferring descriptive or eponymous names tied to explorers like the USS Challenger, with over 10,000 features documented in periodic gazetteers, the fourth edition published in 1981 listing standardized terms. Policies emphasize transliteration of non-Roman names using BGN-approved systems and coordination with international bodies like the International Hydrographic Organization, though U.S. decisions remain authoritative for federal use, as seen in updates incorporating multibeam sonar data from expeditions since the 1990s.

Special Situations and Dispute Resolution

The United States Board on Geographic Names (USBGN), through its Domestic Names Committee (DNC), resolves disputes over geographic names by convening monthly meetings to review proposals, counterproposals, and case briefs that incorporate input from federal agencies, state geographic names authorities, tribal governments, and other stakeholders. Decisions require a simple majority vote among DNC members, who represent departments such as the Interior, Commerce, Agriculture, and Defense, and are binding for federal usage once entered into the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). Reconsideration of prior decisions demands new evidence and renewed stakeholder consultation, ensuring stability unless compelling justification emerges. In special situations involving tribal lands, the DNC defers to the preferences of federally recognized tribes for features located entirely within reservations, prioritizing indigenous consultation to respect sovereignty while aligning with federal standardization principles. For wilderness areas designated under the Wilderness Act of 1964, new commemorative names are approved only if essential for safety, administration, or education, with a strong presumption against proliferation to preserve the untrammeled character of such lands. The DNC rarely initiates name changes independently, limiting interventions to cases like the removal of derogatory terms—such as those incorporating "nigger," "Jap," or "squaw"—with historical precedents including board-directed substitutions in 1963 for racial slurs, 1974 for ethnic pejoratives, and 2021 under Secretarial Order 3404 for gender-based offenses, always seeking replacements that retain historical or descriptive intent where feasible. Conflicts between federal agencies or jurisdictions are addressed by soliciting comprehensive input to achieve consensus, with the DNC coordinating across entities like the U.S. Postal Service and Library of Congress to eliminate redundancies and enforce one official name per feature. In instances of conflicting local usage, present-day vernacular prevails unless it violates core principles, such as prohibitions on duplicates or offensive connotations, supplemented by historical documentation when contemporary evidence is ambiguous. Transboundary features shared with Canada or Mexico involve bilateral agreements aiming for unified naming where culturally viable, as formalized in 1989 policies, though variants persist if mutual accord fails. Proposals enter public review via quarterly lists, allowing objections before final adjudication, typically concluding within three to six months.

Policies on Naming Controversies

Principles for Evaluating Name Changes

The U.S. Board on Geographic Names (USBGN), via its Domestic Names Committee, evaluates proposals for geographic name changes under principles emphasizing stability, local usage, and avoidance of unnecessary alterations. The Board explicitly discourages changes to established official names, approving them only when supported by compelling evidence such as misalignment with prevailing local usage, the presence of derogatory terms, duplication causing confusion, or errors in commemorative intent. This conservative approach stems from the recognition that names carry long-term implications for mapping, legal documents, and public reference, prioritizing uniformity across federal agencies unless overriding factors justify revision. Central to evaluations is Principle II, which bases official names on present-day local usage or preferences, derived from verbal, written, historical, or legal records, except where it conflicts with Board policies like prohibitions on offensive language. Proposals must include documentation of such usage, often requiring endorsements from state geographic names authorities, tribal governments, or local bodies to demonstrate broad acceptance. Principle V further mandates one official name per feature to prevent ambiguity, prompting changes only if variants lead to practical confusion in federal applications such as navigation or emergency response. Under Policy II, name changes demand specific justifications: for instance, shifts to reflect evolved local consensus receive favorable consideration if evidenced by consistent contemporary application, while alterations to existing commemorative names—honoring deceased individuals dead for at least five years with proven direct ties or contributions—are approved sparingly without robust rationale. Policy V strictly prohibits retention or adoption of terms deemed derogatory, including "Nigger," "Jap," and "Squaw," mandating replacement with alternatives that preserve any underlying historical or descriptive intent where feasible, though local offensive usages are rejected outright. Policy VII addresses duplicates or near-identical names, encouraging resolutions through local coordination to minimize federal intervention. Native American-derived names are supported when aligned with tribal consultations and historical accuracy, particularly for features on or near tribal lands, but established non-indigenous names are retained absent widespread local or tribal consensus for reversion. Commemorative proposals, governed by Policy III, are scrutinized for relevance, rejecting honors for living persons or those lacking substantive connection to the feature. Overall, decisions integrate empirical evidence from the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) database, historical maps, and stakeholder input, with quarterly proposal reviews culminating in monthly Domestic Names Committee votes recorded as binding for federal use. This framework ensures changes serve practical standardization rather than transient preferences, safeguarding against proliferation of variants that could undermine cartographic reliability.

Handling Derogatory or Offensive Terms

The United States Board on Geographic Names (USBGN) addresses derogatory or offensive terms through Policy V of its Principles, Policies, and Procedures, which prioritizes local usage for federal geographic names but carves out exceptions for terms deemed derogatory or offensive to racial, ethnic, gender, or religious groups. The policy emphasizes caution, recognizing that perceptions of offensiveness can vary across individuals, communities, and time, and thus evaluates such cases individually rather than through blanket prohibitions beyond explicitly designated terms. It explicitly prohibits three words in all occurrences for federal use: a pejorative slur derived from "Negro" (mandated for replacement with "Negro" by the Secretary of the Interior in 1963), "J_p" (replaced with "Japanese" by USBGN decision in 1974), and "Sq___" (declared derogatory via Secretary's Order 3404 in November 2021). These prohibitions extend to both new proposals and existing names, barring their official adoption or retention if locally used. Proposals to alter names perceived as derogatory follow the standard USBGN process under Policy II for name changes, requiring submission by any individual or agency with justification for the offensiveness claim and a suggested replacement that aligns with federal criteria such as uniqueness, descriptiveness, and local support. Proponents must demonstrate efforts to retain historical or cultural context in replacements, avoiding erasure of the original name's intent where possible. The Domestic Names Committee reviews submissions, consulting stakeholders like state naming authorities, federal agencies, and affected communities, before voting on decisions that become binding for federal mapping and publications unless overridden by executive order. For the three prohibited terms, changes are accelerated per specific mandates; for instance, Secretary's Order 3404 established a task force involving tribes, states, and agencies to expedite "Sq___" replacements, resulting in USBGN approval of new names for approximately 650 features by early 2023, with ongoing reviews for provisional names. Historical applications of the policy trace to mid-20th-century efforts, including the 1963 directive to standardize the pejorative "Negro"-derived term and the 1974 elimination of "J_p" from federal products, reflecting targeted responses to identified slurs rather than broad cultural shifts. The 2021 "Sq___" declaration built on prior state-level actions and decades of proposals (261 received over 20 years), prioritizing consultation to balance offensiveness concerns with preservation of geographic nomenclature as historical record. Beyond these, the USBGN rejects names offensive to specific groups on a case-by-case basis, prohibiting variants containing banned terms in federal outputs and coordinating with entities like the National Park Service to flag potentially sensitive names in public-facing data. This framework ensures federal consistency while deferring to evidentiary local usage absent clear derogation.

Political and Cultural Influences on Decisions

The decisions of the United States Board on Geographic Names (USBGN) have periodically reflected political directives from the executive branch, which can prioritize symbolic gestures over the board's standard criteria of historical prevalence, local usage, and administrative efficiency. Executive orders have enabled rapid name changes without full congressional oversight or extended public consultation, as seen in high-profile cases involving presidential honors and indigenous nomenclature. These interventions often align with the incumbent administration's ideological emphases, such as cultural reconciliation or national heritage preservation, thereby introducing variability into what is intended as a neutral standardization process. A prominent example is the 2015 renaming of North America's highest peak from Mount McKinley—honoring President William McKinley since 1896—to Denali, the Koyukon Athabascan term meaning "the high one." President Obama effected this change via a Department of the Interior directive on August 30, 2015, bypassing prior USBGN reluctance and congressional resistance, including from Ohio representatives who argued the original name commemorated McKinley's economic policies. The move was justified as restoring indigenous significance, given McKinley's lack of connection to Alaska, but it faced criticism for overriding federal naming precedents established over a century. This decision was reversed under the Trump administration on January 20, 2025, when Executive Order 14172, "Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness," directed the Secretary of the Interior to reinstate Mount McKinley in the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) by February 14, 2025, via Secretarial Order 3424. The order emphasized reclaiming names tied to U.S. historical figures, prompting Alaska lawmakers to lobby against further alterations despite their prior support for Denali since 1975 state legislation. Such reversals underscore how partisan shifts can lead to iterative changes, with the USBGN implementing directives rather than initiating them. Cultural influences, particularly advocacy against terms deemed derogatory, have also shaped USBGN outcomes, often amplified by federal task forces under progressive administrations. In November 2021, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland issued Order 3404, declaring "squaw" an ethnic slur and mandating its removal from federal lands, leading the USBGN's Domestic Names Committee to approve replacements for 662 features by September 8, 2022—many reverting to indigenous languages or descriptive terms after tribal consultations. Proponents cited historical perversion of Algonquian roots into slurs, but critics, including some historians, contended the effort effaced neutral or longstanding usages without uniform evidence of offense across contexts, reflecting broader cultural campaigns post-2020 social movements. These episodes reveal tensions between the USBGN's procedural guidelines—favoring names with the longest documented use—and external pressures, where political expediency or cultural activism can prompt bulk actions affecting thousands of entries. While the board maintains it resolves disputes based on evidence, executive overrides and public petitions demonstrate that decisions are not insulated from prevailing national debates on identity, history, and symbolism, occasionally resulting in policy whiplash across administrations.

Major Controversies and Case Studies

Historical Renaming Efforts (e.g., 1960s–1970s Derogatory Term Removals)

In 1963, the United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN), at the direction of the Secretary of the Interior, issued a mandate to eliminate the most pejorative racial slur derived from "Negro" from all federal geographic names, maps, and publications, replacing it uniformly with "Negro." This policy targeted terms originating from 19th- and early 20th-century mappings, often applied to creeks, heads, and settlements in the American South associated with African American history or geography. The change reflected civil rights-era pressures to sanitize official federal nomenclature, though it preserved "Negro" as a substitute, which later faced its own obsolescence critiques. Implementation occurred through coordinated updates by agencies like the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), affecting dozens of documented features without requiring individual public proposals. Building on this precedent, the BGN in 1974 extended similar standardization to anti-Asian slurs by directing the replacement of "Jap"—a derogatory abbreviation for Japanese—with the neutral "Japanese" in all geographic names on federal products. This blanket directive impacted roughly 150 place names nationwide, including creeks, valleys, and peaks, many stemming from World War II-era sentiments or earlier immigrant labor sites in the West. Unlike case-specific disputes, the action prioritized administrative efficiency over local input, with changes integrated into federal databases by the 1980s via the nascent Geographic Names Information System. These mid-20th-century efforts marked the BGN's initial foray into systematic derogatory term removals, driven by executive mandates rather than grassroots campaigns or comprehensive offensiveness reviews. They established procedural norms for federal primacy in naming standardization but were narrowly scoped to explicit ethnic slurs, excluding indigenous or other contested terms until later decades. No equivalent broad policies addressed terms like "squaw" during this period, with such changes handled ad hoc. The actions underscored the board's role in aligning geographic nomenclature with evolving societal norms, though implementation relied on agency compliance without enforced timelines or public transparency metrics.

Indigenous and Historical Name Disputes (e.g., Denali vs. Mount McKinley)

The United States Board on Geographic Names (USBGN) has encountered disputes over geographic features where indigenous names, often rooted in Native American languages and predating European exploration, conflict with historical names honoring explorers, presidents, or settlers. These cases typically evaluate criteria such as historical precedence, local usage, and cultural significance, as outlined in USBGN principles that recognize Native American names as integral to the nation's naming heritage. However, resolutions frequently reflect political pressures rather than strict adherence to longevity or indigenous priority, with federal interventions overriding board deliberations. The most prominent example involves North America's highest peak, originally known to Athabascan peoples as Denali ("the high one" or "the great one"), which was mapped and named Mount McKinley in 1896 by surveyor Robert Muldrow after then-presidential candidate William McKinley, despite no direct connection between the president and Alaska or the mountain. The name Mount McKinley gained federal standardization through the USBGN in the early 20th century, appearing on official maps by 1917. In 1975, the Alaska State Board on Geographic Names adopted Denali for state purposes, and Alaska petitioned the USBGN for federal change, citing predominant local indigenous usage; the proposal stalled due to opposition from Ohio's congressional delegation, McKinley's home state, which prioritized commemorative continuity over regional preference. Federal recognition shifted in August 2015 when Interior Secretary Sally Jewell issued Secretarial Order 3337, directing the USBGN to rename the peak Denali, emphasizing its Athabascan origins and McKinley's lack of Alaskan ties; the board complied, updating federal databases despite protests from Ohio lawmakers and some Alaskans favoring the historical name. This action bypassed prolonged USBGN review, highlighting executive authority in politically charged cases. The reversal occurred in January 2025 under President Trump's executive order "Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness," which instructed the Interior Department to reinstate Mount McKinley for the peak while preserving Denali National Park and Preserve designation, arguing for retention of names commemorating U.S. presidents; the USBGN implemented the change by September 2025, reverting federal maps and publications. Similar tensions appear in other USBGN-adjudicated cases, such as the 2016 renaming of Harney Peak in South Dakota's Black Hills from General William Harney—a 19th-century military figure involved in conflicts with Native Americans—to Black Elk Peak, honoring Lakota holy man Black Elk and reflecting Oglala Sioux cultural claims; the USBGN approved based on evidence of indigenous historical association, though critics noted Harney's name had endured since 1858. These disputes underscore USBGN policies favoring documented traditional usage but vulnerable to advocacy from tribal groups, state legislatures, or congressional interventions, often prioritizing cultural restoration over established commemorative intent without uniform evidentiary thresholds.

Recent Political Interventions (e.g., 2022 Squaw Term Removals and 2025 Trump Administration Actions)

In November 2021, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland issued Secretarial Order 3404, designating the term "squaw" as derogatory and offensive, particularly toward Indigenous women, and directing federal agencies to identify and replace its use in geographic names on public lands. This prompted the formation of a 13-member Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force under the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (USBGN), which reviewed over 660 features nationwide containing the term and proposed culturally appropriate replacements, often drawing from Indigenous languages or historical alternatives. By September 8, 2022, the USBGN had approved and finalized name changes for nearly 650 features, completing the federal removal effort initiated by the Biden administration; examples include Squaw Peak in Arizona renamed Piestewa Peak (honoring a Native American soldier) and various creeks and buttes across states like Idaho and Michigan receiving localized Indigenous or descriptive names. These removals aligned with USBGN Policy V on derogatory names but reflected executive-driven policy, bypassing some traditional consultation processes in favor of expedited task force recommendations; critics, including some historians, argued the term's Algonquian origins as a neutral word for "woman" had been retroactively pathologized without uniform tribal consensus, though federal action prioritized the Department of the Interior's determination of offensiveness. The changes updated the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), influencing federal maps, signage, and databases, though private or state-level uses (e.g., Squaw Valley Ski Resort, rebranded independently as Palisades Tahoe in 2021) were unaffected. On January 20, 2025, President issued 14172, titled "Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness," directing of the Interior to reinstate historic names evoking national achievement and to update federal records accordingly, explicitly targeting reversals of prior administrations' changes deemed ideologically motivated. This included reinstating "Mount McKinley" for Alaska's tallest peak, originally named in 1896 for President and renamed in 2015 by the Obama administration at the request of local Indigenous groups; the order cited the mountain's prominence in American . Additionally, it mandated renaming the Gulf of Mexico to "Gulf of America" in U.S. federal usage, framing the change as a patriotic assertion of sovereignty over shared waters historically named by Spanish explorers but integral to U.S. identity. Implementing these directives, of the Interior Doug Burgum issued Secretarial Order 3424 on , 2025, instructing the USBGN to prioritize restorations of names honoring "American greatness," such as Mount McKinley, and to propagate changes through the GNIS, USGS , and federal mapping. The USBGN complied by entries, including the Gulf of America designation, though international bodies like the retained the prior name, highlighting limits of unilateral U.S. action on transboundary features. These interventions sparked over executive overreach, with proponents viewing them as corrective to "" erasures of heritage and opponents, including some environmental groups, decrying politicization of apolitical naming standards; by May 2025, the actions had influenced over a dozen high-profile features, reinforcing the USBGN's role as an executive implementer rather than independent arbiter.

Publications, Data, and Impact

Official Publications and Databases

The U.S. Board on Geographic Names maintains the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) as its primary official database for domestic geographic names, serving as the federal standard and authoritative repository for approved names used by all U.S. government agencies in mapping, publications, and digital products. GNIS includes data on over 2.5 million physical features—such as mountains, rivers, lakes, and populated places—across the United States, its insular areas, and Antarctica, encompassing official standardized names, historical variants, feature classifications, descriptive notes, and precise locations via state, county, USGS quadrangle, and coordinates. The system excludes roads, highways, and certain administrative or cultural features like airports and bridges, following data refinements implemented in 2021. Managed by the U.S. Geological Survey's National Geospatial Program in support of the Board, GNIS adheres to the ANSI INCITS 446-2008 standard for geographic data representation and is updated bi-monthly with downloadable datasets available through The National Map. Board decisions on name standardizations, variants, and resolutions are directly integrated into GNIS upon approval, making the database the operational publication mechanism for current domestic names rather than separate periodic bulletins. For foreign geographic names, the Board co-maintains the Geographic Names Server (GNS) database with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which stores approved romanized names and decisions for non-U.S. features, though domestic matters remain the Board's core focus. Key official publications include the Domestic Geographic Names: Principles, Policies, and Procedures document, issued by the Domestic Names Committee (a subcommittee of the Board), which details criteria for evaluating name proposals, prioritizing historical usage, local prevalence, and long-standing federal application while requiring evidence for changes. This policy framework, periodically revised, governs all domestic decisions and is publicly accessible as a PDF. Additionally, the Board's Bylaws, last revised in 2015, outline operational rules, meeting protocols, and interagency coordination, available via the U.S. Geological Survey website. Historical decisions from the Board's early years (e.g., 1890–1899 reports) were published in serial bulletins, but modern dissemination relies on GNIS integration and online policy documents rather than printed serials.

Broader Influence on Mapping and Federal Usage

The U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) establishes standardized geographic names that are binding for all federal agencies, requiring updates to maps, charts, websites, and other products prior to publication or upon revision. This authority, codified in Public Law 80-242 (1947), ensures uniformity in name usage across federal documents and mapping efforts, with the BGN determining the official form, spelling, and application of place names for government purposes. For instance, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) incorporates BGN-approved names into its topographic maps and the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), a database containing over 2.5 million domestic features as of 2023, which serves as the federal standard for geographic nomenclature. BGN decisions directly shape federal mapping products, including USGS quadrangle maps and The National Map framework, where standardized names facilitate geospatial data integration and reduce ambiguities in applications like emergency response and resource management. Agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) apply these standards to nautical and aeronautical charts, while the Department of Defense uses them in military mapping, promoting interoperability across government operations. Although not legally binding on states or private entities, BGN names exert de facto influence through widespread adoption; commercial mapping providers like Google Maps and Esri often reference GNIS data for consistency with federal sources, affecting navigation apps and public datasets used by millions. In federal usage beyond mapping, BGN standards govern naming in official records, legislation, and administrative documents, as seen in executive orders and congressional references that defer to BGN resolutions for precision. This extends to digital infrastructure, where federal GIS platforms and APIs propagate BGN-approved names, influencing sectors like transportation and environmental monitoring; for example, post-2015 Denali renaming, federal updates cascaded to over 10,000 maps and documents within USGS alone. The BGN's role thus maintains causal consistency in geographic reference, minimizing errors in policy implementation and data-driven decisions, though private variances persist where local preferences diverge.

References

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  2. https://www.nga.mil/resources/US_Board_on_Geographic_Names_.html
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