Glossary of Names in San Diego County, California Please e-mail comments, corrections and additions to the webmaster at pje@efgh.com.

For each name --

• The pronunciation is the one used in English. Spanish speakers generally use the Spanish pronunciation for Spanish and Indian names.
• The definition is the principal use of the name. Many names are also applied to streets, businesses, schools, etc.
• The literal English translation of the name is given if it is available.

The phonetic spelling uses a number of nonstandard symbols because most Web browsers cannot display all of the standard phonetic symbols.

Alcala

ÄL-k^e-LÄ
in Mission San Diego de Alcalá; Spanish place name

Aldine

AL-DEN
street in Kensington district of San Diego

Anza

ÂN-z^e
in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park or in Anza Cove; surname of early Spanish explorer

Barona

b^e-RON-^e
band of Kumeyaay Indians

Batiquitos

BÄ-te-KET-os
lagoon in Carlsbad; meaning in Spanish uncertain, possibly a nonstandard word for "Little Watering Holes"

Borrego

b^e-REG-o
in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park or in Borrego Springs, an unincorporated community; "Wild Sheep" in Spanish

Cabrillo

k^e-BRE-o or k^e-BRE-yo
national monument; hispanicized surname of João Rodrigues Cabrilho, Portuguese-born Spanish explorer

Cañón

kän-YON
name of street in Point Loma area, sometimes spelled without diacritical marks; "cannon" or "canyon" in Spanish, usually the latter meaning is intended, but the street in Point Loma may recall cannons put there during the Spanish colonial period

Cedros

SE-dros
design district in Solana Beach; "cedars" in Spanish

Chollas

CHOI-y^es
in Chollas View, a district of San Diego; literally "skulls" in Spanish, but name comes from cholla cactus

Chula Vista

CHOOL-^e-VIST-^e
city; "Beautiful View" in Spanish

Civita

si-VE-t^e
development in Mission Valley

Coronado

KAWR-^e-NÄD-o
city; "Crowned" in Spanish

Cowles

KOULZ or KOLZ
mountain; pronunciation is controversial, the first pronunciation is more common, but persons favoring the second pronunciation can be quite adamant

Cuyamaca

KWE-^e-MAK-^e
state park; "Rainy Place" in Kumeyaay language

Dehesa

d^e-HEZ-^e
unincorporated community

Del Dios

DEL-DE-os
highway between Rancho Santa Fe and Escondido; "Of God" in Spanish

Del Mar

DEL-MÄR
city; "Of The Sea" in Spanish

Dulzura

DUL-ZÛR-^e
unincorporated community; "Sweetness" in Spanish

El Cajon

EL-k^e-HON
city; "The Box" in Spanish

Escondido

ES-k^en-DED-o
city; "Hidden" in Spanish

Encinitas

EN-s^e-NET-^es
city; plant name, literally "Little Live Oaks" in Spanish

Ewiiaapaayp

WE-y^e-pi
band of Kumeyaay Indians

Fairmount

FÂR-MÄNT
in Fairmount Avenue; pronounced as though it were spelled "Fairmont"

Fanuel

FÂN-yoo-^el
street and park in the Pacific Beach district of San Diego; apparently a surname

Felicita

FEL-^e-SE-t^e
park and creek in Escondido; apparently a feminine Spanish given name

Jacumba

h^e-KÛM-b^e
unincorporated community; "Look at the Water" in Kumeyaay language

Japatul

HÄP-^e-TOOL
unincorporated community

Jamacha

HAM-^e-SHAW
several roads in the Rancho San Diego area; the intersection of Campo Road and Jamacha Road is often called Jamacha Junction; "Wild Gourd" in Kumeyaay language

Jamul

h^e-MÛL
unincorporated community; "Slimy Water" in Kumeyaay language

Juan

HWÄN
street in Old Town district of San Diego; "John" in Spanish

Kearny Mesa

KÊRN-e-MA-s^e
district of San Diego; from Gen. Philip Kearny, who pronounced his name KÄRN-e

Kumeyaay

KOOM-^e-YI
Indians native to most of San Diego County and some nearby areas

La Costa

l^e-KÄS-t^e
district of Carlsbad; "The Coast" in Spanish

La Jolla (1)

l^e-HOI-^e
district of San Diego; sometimes called the Jewel because the name is pronounced like La Joya, which means "The Jewel" in Spanish

La Jolla (2)

l^e-HOI-^e
band of Luiseño Indians

La Mesa

l^e-MA-s^e
city; "The Table" or "The Mesa" in Spanish

Lebon

l^e-BUN
street in UTC area of San Diego

Luiseño

LOO-e-SAN-yo
Indians native to northern San Diego County and some nearby areas; Spanish for resident of Luis (area served by Mission San Luis Rey)

Loma

LO-m^e
in Point Loma and Loma Portal, districts of San Diego; "Hill" in Spanish

Manzanita

MÂN-z^e-NE-t^e
wild shrub common in San Diego, appears in some place names; literally "Little Apple" in Spanish

Miramar

MIR-^e-MÄR
Marine Corps base; "Sea View" in Spanish

Nimitz

NIM-itz
street in San Diego; from Adm. Chester Nimitz

Oakzanita

OK-z^e-NE-t^e
in Oakzanita Peak; blend of "Oak" and "Manzanita"

Otay

O-TI
river

Pala

PÄL-^e
band of Luiseño Indians at Mission San Antonio de Pala; Spanish place name

Palomar

PAL-^e-MÄR
mountain; "dovecote" in Spanish

Pauma

POU-m^e
band of Luiseño Indians

Peñasquitos

PEN-y^e-SKET-os
in Rancho Peñasquitos, a district of San Diego; "Little Rocky Cliffs" in Spanish

Poway

POU-a or POU-wa
city; Kumeyaay word

Ramona

r^e-MON-^e
unincorporated community; feminine form of "Raymond" in Spanish

Rolando

r^e-LÄN-do
neighborhood of San Diego; "rolling" in Spanish

Rosecrans

ROZ-KRÂNZ
national cemetery; from Gen. William Rosecrans

San Diego

SÂN-de-EG-o
city; "Saint James" in Spanish (Latin Didacus)

San Dieguito

SÂN-de-^e-GE-to
river; "Saint Jimmy" in Spanish (diminutive ending -ito applied to Diego)

San Marcos

SÂN-MÄR-kos
city; "Saint Mark" in Spanish

San Luis Rey

SÂN-LOO-e-RA
mission in Oceanside; "Saint Louis the King" in Spanish with French pronunciation of "Luis"

San Ysidro

SÂN-i-SE-dro
district of San Diego; "Saint Isadore" in Spanish

Santee

SÂN-TE
city

Solana

so-LÄN-^e
in Solana Beach, a city; "Sunshine" in Spanish

Soledad

SOL-^e-DÂD or SÄL-^e-DÂD
mountain; "solitude" in Spanish

Switzer

SWIT-sêr
canyon east of Balboa Park

Sycuan

si-KWÄN
band of Kumeyaay Indians

Talmadge

TAWL-m^ej
district of San Diego

Tecolote

TEK-^e-LOT-e
canyon in San Diego; "owl" in Mexican Spanish

Tierrasanta

te-ER-^e-SÂN-t^e
district of San Diego; "Holy Land" in Spanish

Torrey

TAWR-e
in Torrey Pine, a tree that grows only in San Diego and on one offshore island

Via De La Valle

VE-^e-da-l^e-VÄ-y^e
road; "Valley Way" in ungrammatical Spanish (Via del Valle would be correct)

Viejas

ve-A-HÄS
band of Kumeyaay Indians; "Old Women" in Spanish, but the relationship between this meaning and the Indian band is uncertain

Vista

VIS-t^e
city; "View" in Spanish

Volcan

VOL-k^en
mountain; "Volcano" in Spanish

Wynola

wi-NO-l^e
unincoporated community