On the Ontario Genealogical Society’s Kawartha Branch Facebook group, Anne C. shared a link to the book, The origin and meaning of place names in Canada* that is available in the University of British Columbia library’s historical books collection.
Published in 1930 and written by G.H. Armstrong, names of more than 2,000 villages, towns, and cities across Canada are listed alphabetically.
A place-name is never a mere arbitrary or meaningless sound. It embodies a chapter in the story of the place to which it is attached. — G.H. Armstrong, Preface
Since Newfoundland only joined Confederation in 1949, it is not included in the book. Places in the Yukon, such as Dawson and Klondike, are listed, but I could not find any in the Northwest Territories.
You can browse the book page by page or search for keywords. When searching for a keyword, click on the magnifying glass and then on the arrows next to it to jump to your results.
*Note: If an image of the book doesn’t appear after you click on the above link, click on Open Collections in the linked page, and then click the back arrow of your browser to return to the page with the book. That should make it appear.
