If you have ever traveled across South Carolina, you have probably seen a road sign that made you laugh, scratch your head, or wonder what on earth happened there.
Pumpkintown. Sugar Tit. Possum Kingdom. Nine Times. Ninety Six.
These are not nicknames. They are real communities with real histories.
Some names come from Cherokee words that have survived for centuries. Others were inspired by giant pumpkins, frontier forts, railroad builders, hunting stories, and local legends. A few remain mysteries even today.
So buckle up. We are taking a road trip across South Carolina to explore some of the strangest and most fascinating place names in the Palmetto State.
The Names That Make People Laugh
Pumpkintown
If there is a more cheerful place name in South Carolina, it is hard to find.
Located in the beautiful Oolenoy Valley of Pickens County, Pumpkintown was reportedly named after the enormous pumpkins that once grew throughout the fertile mountain valley. Early travelers were said to be amazed by the size and abundance of the pumpkins, and the nickname eventually became permanent.
Today, Pumpkintown serves as a gateway to Table Rock State Park, Sassafras Mountain, and some of the most scenic landscapes in South Carolina.
Did You Know?
Pumpkintown was one of the earliest settlements in what would eventually become Pickens County.
Sugar Tit
No place name on this list gets more attention.
A sugar tit was an old-fashioned homemade pacifier, made from cloth and filled with sugar or a piece of sugarcane, given to soothe a child. The term was once common throughout the rural South.
Local folklore adds another explanation. When husbands spent too much time socializing at the local store, wives joked that they had found a sugar tit and forgotten to come home.
The name has survived for generations and remains one of South Carolina’s most famous unofficial communities.
Possum Kingdom
The name sounds fictional.
Yet Possum Kingdom is a real community in the Upstate.
One of the oldest recorded explanations comes from a newspaper article published in the 1930s. According to local tradition, an early settler named Thomas Chapman frequently hunted possums. When asked where he lived, he supposedly replied, “Possum Kingdom.”
Whether fact or folklore, the nickname stuck.
Ketchuptown
Despite what visitors often assume, the town has absolutely nothing to do with ketchup.
The name originated from a local store where farmers and neighbors gathered to catch up on community news, weather, crops, and local happenings.
Eventually, “Catch-Up Town” became Ketchuptown.
Fingerville
Fingerville sounds like the setting for a children’s story.
The explanation is actually much simpler.
The community was named after the Finger family, who operated a local mill and played an important role in the area’s development.
Still, it remains one of South Carolina’s most memorable names.
Coward
The town of Coward is not named after someone lacking bravery.
Instead, it takes its name from the Coward family, an early settler and landowner in Florence County.
Locals have embraced the name for generations and often enjoy watching visitors react when they first see the town sign.
South Carolina’s Number Towns
Six Mile
Six Mile traces its origins to Fort Prince George, a British frontier fort established near present-day Lake Keowee during the 1750s.
The community was located approximately six miles from the fort.
Nearby landmarks such as Twelve Mile River and Eighteen Mile Creek preserve the same naming tradition.
Nine Times
Hidden in northern Pickens County, Nine Times may have the most intriguing numerical name in the state.
According to local tradition, travelers following an old mountain route had to cross the same creek nine times before reaching their destination.
The repeated crossings became the area’s identity.
Ninety Six
Few South Carolina place names have inspired more debate.
The most popular explanation is that traders believed the settlement was ninety-six miles from the Cherokee town of Keowee.
Whether the measurement was accurate remains uncertain, but the name endured.
Today, Ninety Six is best known for its Revolutionary War battlefield and the famous Star Fort.
The Directional Towns
Due West
The old joke is simple:
“Due west of what?”
The most common explanation is that travelers heading toward Cherokee territory were instructed to travel due west from nearby settlements.
Eventually the direction became the town’s name.
North
North, South Carolina may be the most confusing address in America.
The community was named after founder John F. North, creating a place name that continues to confuse travelers more than a century later.
Travelers Rest
Long before modern highways, travelers heading into the Blue Ridge Mountains often stopped here to rest, trade supplies, and prepare for difficult journeys.
The town’s name tells its story perfectly.
Welcome
Few places offer a friendlier first impression.
The exact origin is uncertain, but generations of residents have lived up to the name.
Fair Play
According to local tradition, a disagreement between settlers was resolved when someone urged both parties to simply play fair.
The phrase became the community’s name.
Whether true or not, it remains one of South Carolina’s best stories.
The Names That Are Not What You Expect
Tigerville
Most visitors assume Tigerville has something to do with Clemson University.
It does not.
Located in northern Greenville County, the community likely takes its name from tiger lilies that once grew throughout the area.
Tigerville existed long before Clemson football became famous.
Lugoff
Most people assume Lugoff is a Native American word.
The truth is much stranger.
The town was named after Count Lugoff, a Russian engineer connected to railroad construction in South Carolina.
Boiling Springs
The town was named after a spring that once appeared to boil and reportedly shot water several feet into the air.
Visitors traveled from miles away to witness the phenomenon.
Prosperity
Before becoming Prosperity, local folklore says the community was called Frog Level because of a nearby pond filled with frogs.
When the railroad arrived, local leaders decided a more optimistic name would help attract growth.
Cross Anchor
A local legend claims that two sailors settled at a crossroads and marked the location with crossed anchors.
Whether entirely true or not, the story remains attached to the community.
Native American Names That Shaped South Carolina
Some of South Carolina’s most beautiful names come from Native American languages.
Oolenoy
Named for a Cherokee leader associated with the valley surrounding modern Pumpkintown.
Coosawhatchie
Derived from the Coosaw people and a Native American word for river.
Yemassee
Named after the Yemassee people.
Socastee
A name preserving the heritage of Native American communities along the Grand Strand.
Waccamaw
Associated with the Waccamaw people and the river system that shaped northeastern South Carolina.
Ashepoo
One of the most beautiful names in the Lowcountry.
Tamassee
Often translated as “Place of the Sun.”
Cheohee
A Cherokee-derived name found throughout the mountains of the Upstate.
Tega Cay
Usually translated as “Beautiful Peninsula.”
Daufuskie
One of South Carolina’s most recognizable island names.
Names With Stories Still Being Debated
Round O
Was it named after a Native American leader with a circular marking?
A whirlpool in a nearby creek?
Nobody knows for certain.
That mystery is part of its charm.
Honea Path
Named after early settler Andrew Honea, though multiple versions of the story survive.
Like many South Carolina place names, folklore has become intertwined with history.
Adam’s Run
Who was Adam?
Why was he running?
No one seems completely sure.
The mystery continues.
Plum Branch
Named after a nearby stream lined with flowering plum trees.
One of the state’s most picturesque names.
Walhalla
Founded by German immigrants who named the community after the legendary Norse hall of heroes.
The town remains one of the most culturally unique settlements in South Carolina.
Glassy
Named after Glassy Mountain, whose granite face appears to shimmer in sunlight.
South Carolina’s Place Names Tell Our Story
South Carolina’s place names preserve stories that might otherwise be forgotten.
They remind us of Cherokee villages, frontier forts, railroad construction, mountain settlements, immigrant communities, old stores, local legends, and the everyday lives of ordinary people.
Some names describe what settlers saw.
Some honor people who helped build communities.
Some began as jokes.
And somehow they all survived.
Which is your favorite?
Pumpkintown?
Sugar Tit?
Possum Kingdom?
Or maybe a place we missed?
One thing is certain: South Carolina would not be nearly as interesting without them. Head to the water; remember that you may be sharing it with far more fish than you ever imagined.
