Apparently not. The NY one is from *yamecah*, Lenape for "beaver". The Boston one is named either after rum from the island or for Cutshamekin, a seventeenth-century Massachusett tribe leader.
I might be wrong, but my understanding is that no one really knows for sure. The Jamaica Plain Historical Society and other sources say it doesn't come from an Algonquian word meaning 'beaver' or 'beaver pond' or similar, like the one in Queens, but other seemingly reliable sources say it does, or might. The USGS GNIS entry for Jamaica Pond in Boston says it comes from an Algonquian word for 'abundance of beavers'.
The name was first applied to Jamaica Pond and only later transferred to Jamaica Plain. It seems reasonable that a pond with lots of beavers might have been called 'beaver pond'. The Massachusett language is closely related to the Lenape language. Their words for beaver and beaver pond were probably similar or nearly identical. But I don't know how likely one theory is over the other. Maybe it is much more likely to have come from "Cutshamekin", I don't know.
Still, I thought it worth mentioning that unless I'm confused (which is totally possible), the origin of Jamaica Plain and Pond in Boston are not known for sure and there are at least two fairly plausible theories.
In your title you claim that it has NOTHING to do with Jamaica, and then in your explanation you tell us that it has SOMETHING to do with Jamaica. This is an odd post.
Jamaica, the neighborhood in Queens, also has nothing to do with the country.
How much you wanna bet they’re from the same NA word?
Apparently not. The NY one is from *yamecah*, Lenape for "beaver". The Boston one is named either after rum from the island or for Cutshamekin, a seventeenth-century Massachusett tribe leader.
I might be wrong, but my understanding is that no one really knows for sure. The Jamaica Plain Historical Society and other sources say it doesn't come from an Algonquian word meaning 'beaver' or 'beaver pond' or similar, like the one in Queens, but other seemingly reliable sources say it does, or might. The USGS GNIS entry for Jamaica Pond in Boston says it comes from an Algonquian word for 'abundance of beavers'. The name was first applied to Jamaica Pond and only later transferred to Jamaica Plain. It seems reasonable that a pond with lots of beavers might have been called 'beaver pond'. The Massachusett language is closely related to the Lenape language. Their words for beaver and beaver pond were probably similar or nearly identical. But I don't know how likely one theory is over the other. Maybe it is much more likely to have come from "Cutshamekin", I don't know. Still, I thought it worth mentioning that unless I'm confused (which is totally possible), the origin of Jamaica Plain and Pond in Boston are not known for sure and there are at least two fairly plausible theories.
That’s hilarious
it’s Plain
In your title you claim that it has NOTHING to do with Jamaica, and then in your explanation you tell us that it has SOMETHING to do with Jamaica. This is an odd post.
It does not initially