Quote:
Originally Posted by Acajack
That's because "we" explored a large part of the current United States before these areas were taken over either by the British or (later) the US. The Germans never had a colonial empire in America.
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There were two more waves of French namings. In the 1790s and early 1800s, many places in the newly-settled interior were given French names in honor of France's role in the American Revolution. Louisville, KY is probably the most conspicuous example, but also all of the places given a -ville name, from Huntsville to Knoxville to Ashville to wherever.
The final wave was motivated by General Lafayette's grand tour in 1824. That's where Lafayette, IN came from, along with the many Lafayette-named streets in major cities.
BTW, St. Louis, Louisiana, and Louisville are named after different French kings:
St. Louis - Louis VIX
Louisiana - Louis XIV
Louisville - Louis XVI