Q
TICONDEROGA
Ticonderoga, familiar as the name of the historic fortress at Lake George, was written by Sir William Johnson, in 1756, Tionderogue and Ticonderoro, and in grant of lands in 1760, “near the fort at Ticonderoga.” Gov. Colden wrote Ticontarogen, and an Iroquoian sachem is credited with Decariaderoga. Interpretations are almost as numerous as orthographies. The most generallyquoted is from Spofford’s Gazetter: “Ticonderoga, from Tsindrosie, or Cheonderoga, signifying ‘brawling water,’ and the French name, Carillon, signifying ‘a chime of bells,’ were both suggested by the rapids upon the outlet of Lake George.” The French name may have been so suggested, but neither Tsindrosie or Cheonderoga means “brawling water.” The latter is probably an orthography of Teonderoga. Ticonderoga as now written, is from Te or Ti, “dual,” two; Kaniatare, “lake,” and -ogen, “intervallum, divisionem” (Bruyas), the combination meaning, literally “Between two lakes.” Horatio Hale wrote me of one of the forms “Dekariaderage, inmodern orthography, Tekaniataroken, from which Ticonderoga, means, simple ‘Between two lakes.’ It is derived from Tioken, ‘between,’ and Kaniatara, ‘lake.’ Its composition illustrates a peculiar idiom of the Iroquoian language. Tioken when combined with a noun, is split in two, so to speak, and the noun inserted. Thus in combining Tioken with Oneonte, ‘mountain,’ we have Ti-ononte-oken, ‘Between two mountains,’ which was the name of one of the Mohawk castles—sometimes written Theonondioga. In like manner, Kaniatare, ‘lake,’ thus compounded, yields Te-kaniatare-oken, ‘Between two lakes.’ In the Huron dialect Kiniatare is contracted to Yontare or Ontare, from which, with io or iyo, ‘great,’ we get Ontario (pronounced Ontareeyo), ‘Great lake,’ which combined with Tioken, becomes Tionteroken, which would seem to be the original of Colden’s Ticonderoga.”
(“Indian Geographical Names,” by E. M. Ruttenber, page 71 Vol. VI, New York State Historical Association).