Eponyms
An eponym is the name of a person or group of persons after or for whom a place is named. In Ghana some place names are formed from eponyms, e.g. Christiansborg, Kwesikrom, and some just use the eponyms themselves, e.g. Kofi Pari, Kwame Danso.
Christiansborg is the site of the imposing structure known variously as Fort Christiansborg, Osu Castle, or The Castle, which has served for most of its life as the seat of Government in Ghana. Originally known as Osu, the settlement has become absorbed into the city of Accra. In 1661, Jost Cramer, Danish governor of Fredericksborg, near Cape Coast, bought the land from Chief Okaikoi, and the fort was built and named after the former King of Denmark, Christian IV, who had died in 1648.Source: Kwesi J Anquandah, "Castles & Forts of Ghana", Atalante, 1999
Gwollu is a village in the Upper West Region and is named after Gwollu (or Gbollu) Koro Limann who had a double-circle wall built around the local community in the 19th century as a defence against slave raiders, particularly the notorious Babatu Zato.Source: Kasana Museum
Gwollu wall - picture courtesy of Kasana Museum
Kwame Danso is the capital town of the Sene West district in Bono East. It was founded by the father of the present (2010) catechist of the Presbyterian Church there.
Source: Peter Barker, private communication
Kofi Pare is a town in the Eastern Region about 15 miles north-west of Nsawam. It is named after a migrant Aburi cocoa farmer who bought the land from the chief of the nearby town of Akantin in 1912 using the proceeds from land sold at Pakro. Around the farm land grew the 'abusua' (family) village.
Source: Polly Hill, "The Migrant Cocoa-Farmers of Southern Ghana", CUP, 1963
Koforidua: "Oral tradition has it that Koforidua owes its name to a man, Kofi Ofori, who had built his hut under a huge mahogany tree. This tree provided shelter for weary farmers who were returning from their farms after a hard day's work. Over time it became common for the farmers to say that they were going to rest under Kofi Ofori’s tree (Akan, dua)."
Source: GhanaWeb
Queen Anne's Point is a coastal geographical feature about 2 miles east of Cape Coast in the Central Region. The Fanti name for the village there is Ekon (or Akong), meaning 'neck'. There is a verbal tradition that the English name is derived from an occasion when Queen Anne was in a ship passing through the coast of West Africa and pointed to a hill near Cape Coast. However no evidence has yet been found to support this, and it seems unlikely generally that a British monarch of the 18th century would have travelled personally to West Africa, and particularly that Queen Anne, who suffered poor health and frequent miscarriages, would have done so.
Source: Kwesi Hanson, private communication
Techiman is the district capital of Techiman Municipal District in Bono East. It was founded by Nana (Chief) Takyi Firi after the first capital of the Brong state, Bono Manso, was destroyed by the Ashantis in a war in 1723. The town's name is thus a contraction ot 'Takyi' and 'oman', meaning Takyi's town/state.
Source: O.Brempong, "Twi Etymology: A Study in Ethno-Linguistics", Inst.of Afr. Studies Res. Rev. NS vol.7 nos. 1 & 2 1991