How Did Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda Get Their Names?

LAMORINDA, CA — Have you ever wondered how Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda were named?

Hats off to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, which put together a fun rabbit-hole of a story about place names in the Bay Area.

So, how did they get their monikers?

"Lafayette went through quite a few iterations before settling on its current name. It was, at varying times, known as Dog Town, Brown's Corner, Centerville and Acalanus, the name of the original Mexican land grant. When Benjamin Shreve became the town's first postmaster in 1857, he favored Centerville. But, as it was already taken by another California town, he went with his second choice, La Fayette."

And Orinda? "Orinda breaks with the Spanish naming scheme theme of much of the Bay Area and sports the name of a 17th century English poet. Katherine Fowler Philips was a favorite poet of Alice Mars Camron, the wife of the town's sheriff in 1876. Philips was called the "Matchless Orinda," and from that, Camron chose the name Orinda for her family home. The area was officially named Orinda in the 1920s."

Moraga was omitted from the article but was named for Joaquin Moraga who received a Mexican land grant in the early 1800s.

Read about how other cities and towns got their names on Santa Rosa Press Democrat.