Every place name is like a fossil - a piece of frozen history. We built a tool to unlock it.
By Nikolaev Ilya, Oxana Shtefan
Have you wondered why your city is called the way that it is? A student in Massachusetts walks past the same street sign of his state’s name every day for 17 years, yet, on graduation, he still doesn’t know the meaning of it. The name of every place carries a hidden story - a small fragment of the language, history and mythology of the land the place is on. But for most people, that story remains invisible, as they don't engage with names, they just accept them, without being taught to question and understand them.
The scientific study of place names and their origins is called toponymy. It is one of the most fascinating parts of geographical sciences, as it allows us to better understand the country we
live in. However, in schools, toponymy is almost never taught. We conducted an analysis of the school curricula in Kazakhstan and IB geography - one of the most comprehensive geography programs globally. It showed that students learn political borders and physical geography, however, concentrated study of place names is entirely absent. Teachers and administrators tend to consider this science useless, as they don’t see a practical application in the real world. Where toponymy is taught, though, teachers don't tap into human curiosity, but use massive texts from old toponymic dictionaries, making the study of toponymy boring. Kids don't learn etymology through fun and interactive activities, instead, they just cram huge texts that don't create any connection to the name. This keeps a lid on a child’s curiosity, and because our wondrous instincts are suppressed in childhood, adults learn to ignore them. Moreover, if somebody wants to learn the toponymy of another culture and country, he is confronted by language barriers, as there are hardly any toponymy sources that cover more than one region.
The toponymy of many countries is also under threat from colonialism, as colonial powers seek to erase the very identity of the colonised. Thousands of place names are changed and thereby unremembered, nullifying the deep history of the conquered land. Cultures are abandoned, languages threatened and stories forgotten. For instance - when the Soviet government took over the country, it renamed thousands of cities and towns, 147 of which never got its original name. One example of this is Kyzylorda city, which was originally called Aq-Mechit (“white mosque”). The Soviets made the city the country’s capital, therefore naming it Kyzylorda (“Red Capital”)
This problem is incredibly relevant to countries with rich history, where every place has a deep meaning, scattered across multiple languages, making the failure of the education system even more damaging.
When toponymy isn’t known and appreciated, it’s not just etymology that disappears, languages, history and connection to the native land also does. We ourselves live in one of such countries - Kazakhstan. Central Asian civilization has been around for thousands of years and is deeply intertwined with world culture through trade ties going back to the Great Silk Road. Place names - toponyms - can be traced back to before most countries even existed, but students don't know their origins because the school system acts like a wall that doesn’t reward interest in toponymy.
However, the rise of EdTech allows us to use digital technology to revive toponymy with interactive learning, not outdated textbooks. Toponymy can become fascinating when taught well, because it teases a man’s most irritable instinct - curiosity. Once you begin questioning the names surrounding you on every road sign, every plaque and every map, you just can’t stop. The world needs an easy source which can satisfy the fascination of a prying enthusiast.
To measure the potential of a toponymy-based project, we conducted a survey of 347 students in grades 5-11. It revealed:
High interest in toponymy ( Over 80% of students expressed strong interest or just interest).
Low knowledge of key world toponyms (only 39% of students could explain the etymology of the name of their native city - Almaty, and only 2% could explain the etymology of Moscow in Russia and New York in the USA).
The survey results showed that the visual-digital format is optimal for studying toponymy (51% preferred a website to other means of learning, having a 16% advantage over the closest option).
This means our project is relevant. Students want to study toponymy, but they dislike the current teaching format, which reduces the quality of their learning. In other words, there is high interest with a low level of knowledge. This allows us to carve out an unoccupied but potentially expandable niche. Having confirmed the relevance of the project, we began implementing our solution.
We created “Name of The World” - a website that allows the user to learn the etymology of toponyms through fun activities, interaction and quizzes, not endless cramming. For now, we have only added 3 countries, but with your help, there will be room for so much more.
Most learning problems come from the lack of interaction in education. Textbooks and toponymic dictionaries, which were the main source of knowledge in the field previously, don’t allow for anything except generic studying. We solved that problem. The main component of the site is a map of 3 countries - Kazakhstan, Russia and the USA. We have chosen those three countries as our co-authors - Oxana Shtefan and Nikolaev Ilia - are originally from Kazakhstan and Russia. These nations also have a wealthy history and a multi-ethnic population, which leads to toponyms spanning tens or hundreds of languages. On the map, dots show the geographic location of toponyms. The user clicks on a dot and he is shown the etymology of the connected toponym and a picture of it. This allows the user to connect a toponym to its geographic position, replacing abstract learning with spatial understanding. The picture is connected to etymology where it is appropriate, for example: Rhode Island’s name comes from Dutch explorer Adriaen Block, who named the territory "Roodt Eyland", meaning "Red Island" due to the red clay lining the shore. The picture shows the red tilt of Rhode Island’s coast. The structure of the site is unique, as most toponymy sources even in the US are books or booklets. We provide enthusiasts with a universal and transparent resource to learn toponymy of multiple countries around the world through interactive engagement.
It was important to clearly structure the educational experience of the user. So we divided toponyms on the site into categories:
Oikonyms
Hydronyms
Oronyms
Speleonyms
Horonyms
The website explains these categories. Oikonyms are names of settlements, hydronyms are names of bodies of water, oronyms are names of mountains, speleonyms are names of caves, and horonyms are names of regions. The website includes tests to identify the types of toponyms. Dividing toponyms into categories allows the website to provide a clearer structure for studying toponymy, simplifying memorization and deepening understanding. This allows us to turn moments of curiosity into structured learning.
For Kazakhstan and Russia, we selected the six most important toponyms in each category. For the United States, we described the etymology of each of the 50 states. Finding information on toponyms in Kazakhstan and Russia proved extremely difficult due to a lack of resources on toponym etymology. Moreover, almost every source was in Russian or Kazakh. Information on the origins of US toponyms, while easier to find, was scattered across hundreds of sources, making it harder for educators to pull together a coherent etymological map of America, further underscoring the relevance of our project.
It was important to select reliable sources for collecting place names. When collecting data on Russia and Kazakhstan, we used toponymic dictionaries, such as Pospelov’s 2008 dictionary. For the United States, we found information mainly on official state websites or in references from National Geographic magazine. This underscores the relevance of our project, as we have compiled scattered information into a single accessible source. The sources can be accessed through links on our website.
The website was built using a client-server architecture. The backend was developed using the Go programming language and the Gin framework to provide REST API endpoints. The frontend was built using technologies such as React and Leaflet for map rendering. All website data is stored in PostgreSQL. This infrastructure ensures the proper functioning of the interactive map, quizzes, and AI system.
We needed to make learning more efficient and interactive by allowing users to consolidate their knowledge to turn curiosity into constant and systematic education. To reinforce the material covered, we developed a system of quizzes and tests. There are two types of quizzes: on types of toponyms and on their origins. If the user selects quizzes based on toponym type, they must determine whether the proposed toponym is an oikonym, a choronym, or another type of toponym from five given answer options. After selecting an answer, the system determines whether the player's choice is correct. If an error is made, the AI is activated to explain the correct answer. For example, Astana is an oikonym. If the player answers incorrectly, the AI explains that Astana is an oikonym, as it denotes the name of an urban area.
The second category of tests is about the etymology of toponyms. The questions vary widely. For example, some questions involve translating words that became the basis for toponyms. For instance, the user is asked which toponym's etymology is based on the poem "Las Sergas de Esplandian." The correct answer is California. The state was named after queen Calafia, who was a ruler of a mythical island of amazon warriors in the novel. She ruled an island nation, and since the Spanish mistakenly believed California to be an island, they named the territory after the queen of the mythical island nation. If the player selects an incorrect answer, the AI explains the story to the user. So students are not punished for mistakes, instead, AI helps them learn from their mistakes.
To elaborate, the AI system on our website was built based on DeepSeek API because, after analyzing similar solutions, we concluded that it was the most cost-effective option. We decided to use automatic prompt engineering. Specifically, when a user makes a mistake - for example, in an origins quiz - the AI is instructed to use only the etymology from our verified database. This ensures a minimal likelihood of AI hallucinations.
With the support of our school’s administration, the website was installed on computers in the computer science classroom and tested by students. In total, all 347 students in grades 5–11 participated in the pilot test. Before using the website, the students took a preliminary assessment test (pre-test) on their knowledge of the toponymy of the three countries featured on the website. Afterward, they used the website and took quizzes on it. Then, the participants took a post-test to assess their level of knowledge and provide feedback on the website’s usability and usefulness. The students’ understanding of toponymy improved significantly, not only regarding Kazakhstan but also the U.S. and Russia. The average score on the toponymy knowledge test rose from 5.53 to 8.9 out of 10 after using the website.
Feedback on the website was also positive. 93% of respondents noted an improvement in their knowledge of toponymy (including those who “strongly agree” and those who simply “agree”). Students also stated that the interactive map helps them better grasp the material. According to the students, the AI’s explanations after mistakes helped them better understand the topic. Most students found the website very user-friendly. 90% of the students liked the learning format and would like to use it again. This shows that our attempt at channeling the deep-buried curiosity of the human mind into concrete action can be deemed successful.
Toponymy is the underutilized gateway to a country’s history, culture and language. Our project transforms passive memorization into interactive exploration through integration of maps, visual association, quiz system and AI-assistance, carving out a unique niche in the EdTech market. Although still limited, our site has a lot of room for growth, technologically and geographically. Most importantly, our project can change the way niche academic disciplines are taught in the digital age - not forgotten, but made more interesting and interactive, tapping into human curiosity. Let’s go back to the uninterested student from the article’s beginning. Now imagine, he finally looks up the origin of the name of his state. He learns that it was named after a hill he barely knew about, by people who died thousands of years ago in a language dead for centuries. Despite how old the name is, the sign finally means something to him. This is what toponymy does - it makes invisible visible.