Aberdeen versus Aberdeen.

AS MANY ABERDONIANS already know, our town was named after Aberdeen, Scotland. In the late 1800s, Charles Prior oversaw the construction of the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad in our area. According to the Dacotah Prairie Museum, Prior decided where new railroad tracks would go and created new towns along the railroad. Prior named each town he founded after a place or person he knew. His boss, Alexander Mitchell, came from Aberdeen, Scotland, and our town was named after his birthplace.

Today, there are over 30 other cities that bear the name Aberdeen. With a population of nearly 30,000, our Aberdeen is the largest in the United States. How does our Aberdeen stack up against the rest?

THE ORIGINAL

According to Alison Grant, the name given to Aberdeen translates as ‘mouth of the river Don’, and is recorded as Aberdon in 1172 and Aberden in c. 1180. The first element of the name is the Pictish word aber ‘river mouth’. The second element is from the Celtic river goddess Devona. The area around Aberdeen, Scotland was first inhabited by hunter-gatherers around 8,000 years ago, primarily around the mouths of the Rivers Dee and Don. It was originally separated into two different burghs, with Old Aberdeen on the Don and New Aberdeen on the Dee. As a busy seaport on the coast of the North Sea, the area saw a Celtic migration around 400 BC.

The Union Terrace Gardens in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Aberdeen, Scotland, the granite city, looking out to the harbour.

The earliest charter—a formal, written document that establishes the purpose, structure, and authority of an entity or project— was granted by William the Lion in 1179. In the late Middle Ages, the Aberdeens merged physically but remained legally separate.

With a population of 224,190, Aberdeen, Scotland is the largest of the Aberdeens. Interestingly enough, Scotland’s Aberdeen is the third largest city in the country, while our Aberdeen is the third largest city in the state of South Dakota.

ACROSS THE POND

Take a closer look into some of our sister cities down below.

ABERDEEN TOWNSHIP, NEW JERSEY

Population: 19,329

➼ Located on the Jersey Shore, Aberdeen Township, New Jersey is the second-largest Aberdeen in the United States. The area was settled around the year 1000 by the Lenni Lenape Native Americans, and the earliest known attempt of a European settlement was in 1650.

The township of Aberdeen has gone through a few changes. In 1693, it became part of Middletown Township. By the 1840s, the township became too large to govern effectively, and the area was split. The western half of the township was then known as Raritan Township. In 1857, Matawan Township was incorporated from parts of Raritan Township.

Aberdeen, New Jersey.

The final name change happened in 1977. Residents wanted to establish an identity separate from Matawan, and naming the township Aberdeen was both a nod to the original Scots that founded the area and a way to generate attention for the town, as its name was one of the first municipalities listed alphabetically.

Actress Retta, known for her roles in Parks and Recreation and Good Girls is from Aberdeen, New Jersey.

ABERDEEN, WASHINGTON

Population: 17,013

➼ Samuel Benn of New York City established a homestead on the Chehalis River in 1859 and platted a town at the site and called it Aberdeen.

According to Edmond S. Meany, the name could have come from two different places. The Aberdeen Packing Company opened a cannery on the homestead in 1873, and of course, Aberdeen, Scotland. Just like the Aberdeen in Scotland, Aberdeen, Washington is a port city at the mouth of two rivers.

Aberdeen, Washington

The city became incorporated in 1890. Aberdeen and the surrounding towns competed to become the terminus for Northern Pacific Railroad, but the city was mostly known for its many sawmills. In the early 1900s, Aberdeen had become home to saloons, brothels, and gambling establishments. Today, Aberdeen is known for its timber and fishing industries, as well as tourism.

Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic of the band Nirvana are from Aberdeen, Washington.

ABERDEEN, MARYLAND

Population: 16,254

Aberdeen, Maryland

➼ Maryland’s Aberdeen started as a farming community in 1720. In 1835, the Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railroad scouted the area for a watering station, and as the city grew, it was officially designated as a village. It was named after George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen. He eventually became the Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1852. In 1892, it was incorporated as a town, and in 1992, it was incorporated as a city. One of its major attractions, the Ripken Stadium, was named after Baltimore Orioles legend Cal Ripken.

ABERDEEN, NORTH CAROLINA

Population: 9,305

➼ The first European settlers came to Aberdeen, North Carolina in the late 1700s, but at the time it was not known as Aberdeen. The communities of Bethesda and Blue’s Crossing were attractive settlements thanks to the bountiful hunting opportunities the area provided. A few small battles during the American Revolution occurred there, as many residents at the time were Loyalists. In 1877, its first post office was built, and after surrounding forest land was developed for rail lines, the area was officially named Aberdeen in 1888.

ABERDEEN, KENTUCKY

Population: 6,000

➼ Aberdeen, Kentucky is an unincorporated community that was established in the early 1800s. From the 1850s to the 1920s, the town was supported by a large coal mining operation.

Aberdeen, Georgia

ABERDEEN, GEORGIA

Population: 8,959

➼ Aberdeen, Georgia is currently a neighborhood of Peachtree City, Georgia. It was previously its own incorporated area from 1911 to 1995.

ABERDEEN, MISSISSIPPI

Population: 4,961

Aberdeen, Mississippi.

➼ Aberdeen, Mississippi sits on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway in Monroe County, which is the third-largest county in the state. The first Europeans traveled through the area in 1540. It was first settled in 1834, and a skirmish between Union and Confederate soldiers occurred in 1864. Resident Edward Haynes said that their school colors are blue and white, their sports teams are the Mighty Bulldogs, and that they’re known for their great hospitality and Southern cooking.

ABERDEEN, IDAHO

Population: 1,756

➼ Aberdeen, Idaho was named after Aberdeen, Scotland.

ABERDEEN, OHIO

Population: 1,515

➼ Aberdeen, Ohio was founded in 1795 by James Edwards. In 1816, it was platted by Nathan Ellis and was incorporated shortly after that. Today, the town is connected to Maysville, Kentucky by two bridges, the Simon Kenton Memorial Bridge and the William H. Harsha Bridge.

So Many Aberdeens

➼ Many other cities have used the name Aberdeen to pay homage to the original settlement in Scotland. Today, you’ll be able to visit an Aberdeen on almost every continent.

Where You’ll Find an Aberdeen:

United States:

Aberdeen, Washington

Aberdeen, South Dakota

Aberdeen, Maryland

Aberdeen, Mississippi

Aberdeen, North Carolina

Aberdeen, Idaho

Aberdeen, Ohio

Aberdeen, Florida

Aberdeen, Indiana

Aberdeen, Kentucky

Aberdeen, West Virginia

Canada

Aberdeen, Saskatchewan

Aberdeen, British Columbia

Aberdeen, Nova Scotia

Aberdeen, New Brunswick

Aberdeen, Ontario

International

Aberdeen, Scotland

Aberdeen, New South Wales, Australia

Aberdeen, Eastern Cape, South Africa

Aberdeen, Hong Kong Island

The view of Aberdeen Harbour from Ap Lei Chau Bridge in Aberdeen, Hong Kong

Aberdeen, Western Area, Sierra Leone

Aberdeen, Jamaica

Aberdeen, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India

Aberdeen, Mashonaland West, Zimbabwe

Photos courtesy of Amanda Willis, Ashley Davis Morfin, Preservation Maryland, Indy Beetle, Colin Smith, Edward Haynes, and FatalFit. Special thanks to localhistories.org and to the contributors from local Aberdeen Facebook groups from across the country.