United States Board on Geographic Names

The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the federal government of the United States.[1] Following the American Civil War more and more settlers began moving westward, prompting the government to pursue some sort of consistency for referencing landmarks on maps and in official documents."[3] President Benjamin Harrison signed executive order 28[4] on September 4, 1890, establishing the Board on Geographical Names.In 1906 the board's powers where expanded by Theodore Roosevelt from establishing consistency to being responsible for standardizing geographic names for use across the federal government.[2] The Board was assigned notable provisions of the 2025 executive order Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness during the second presidency of Donald Trump.The BGN has members from six federal departments as well as the Central Intelligence Agency, the US Government Publishing Office, the Library of Congress, and the US Postal Service.[3] The BGN does not recognize the use of the possessive apostrophe and has only granted an exception five times during its history, including one for Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.
federalUnited States Secretary of the Interiorgeographicfederal government of the United StatesAmerican Civil WarThomas Corwin MendenhallUnited States Coast and Geodetic SurveyBenjamin Harrisonexecutive orderfederal governmentTheodore RooseveltFranklin RooseveltDepartment of the InteriorWorld War IIDeb HaalandJoe BidenMount EvansSand Creek massacreRestoring Names That Honor American Greatnesssecond presidency of Donald TrumpAntarcticaAdvisory Committee on Antarctic NamesGeographic Names Information SystemUS Geological SurveyCentral Intelligence AgencyUS Government Publishing OfficeLibrary of CongressUS Postal ServicetransliterationpossessiveMartha's VineyardUnited States Census Bureaucensus designated placesPostal ServiceBGN/PCGN romanizationComposite Gazetteer of AntarcticaDenali–Mount McKinley naming disputeName of PittsburghHenry GannettGeographical Names Board of CanadaGeographical Names Board of New South WalesCarlos Elmer's Joshua ViewClark's MountainIke's PointJohn E's PondAssociated PressPresident of the United States of AmericaWayback MachineWall Street JournalCongressional Research Service