Thread: Where does Panama get its name?

Where does Panama get its name? How long has Panama had the name Panama? Do you like the name?

Its thought that the name 'Panama' comes from an indiginous Indian phrase meaning 'place of fishes.' And considering its geography, easy to understand; the seafood there is awesome.
Panama took its name when it split with the Spanish crown in 1821, and united with Columbia.
I do not like, nor dislike the name. It's a place name, a kind of neutral word. I can't think of any reason why one would feel either way about the name, since it was named a good long time ago. Its like asking whether America is a good name, or Canada...kind of moot.

Cheers.

I should go fishing in Panama. I never catch anything when I fish, but maybe I would have better luck in Panama.

panama got its name from the latin word meaning silence,no idea about when it was named so.

Originally Posted by ankuranks

Panama got its name from the Latin word meaning silence,no idea about when it was named so.

Please read above--it is not named from the Latin for 'silence,' which is 'silentium,' my post clearly states the commonly accepted source of the name and when it was so named.

Cheers.

One of the most beautiful and tallest trees in Panama is called: Panama! Wow! For some, that explains everything, the land where the Panama tree grows became the land of Panama of course. Besides, the word "panama" in one of our indigenous comunities means: abundance of buterflies and abundance of fish in another of our natives comunities. So, a majestic tree, abundance of fish or buterflies are all very accurate sources for the name of this beautiful isthmus.

I never realize Panama itself has quite a few meanings and such, for me the name sounds ok to me.

Some of the descriptions here are beuatiful. i love names that have meaning like mine means Liberty, freedom, In Greek it is Eleftheria. So a nation that has a name wiht meaning reflects the spiritual depth of its people.

Even i was wondering where did it get it's name...But i know that it has been it's name from long time..It is a very beautiful place

Originally Posted by ScottHughes

Where does Panama get its name? How long has Panama had the name Panama? Do you like the name?

Panama got it's name from a word (in the dialect of it's natives) meaning "an abundance of fish" due to - you guessed it - an abundance of fish in the country's waters. I think it's as cool a name as any country could possibly have... Easy to pronounce (accent on the first syllable in English, on the last in Spanish).