SOUTH CAROLINA - Whether you are taking a road trip down from North Carolina, crossing the border from Georgia, or driving up the coast from Florida, you will quickly discover that South Carolina is home to some incredibly bizarre and surprisingly "raunchy" town names. While the Palmetto State is famous for its stunning coastal beaches, sweet tea, and rich colonial history, whoever was in charge of naming its local municipalities clearly had a unique, and sometimes entirely unintentional, sense of humor.
From hilarious double entendres to slightly uncomfortable anatomical references, here is a look at the most unusual, head-scratching, and raunchy-sounding town names you will find scattered across South Carolina.
1. Sugar Tit (Spartanburg County)
You cannot discuss ridiculous South Carolina geography without starting with Sugar Tit. Located in Spartanburg County, this small unincorporated community features a name that sounds like a highly inappropriate anatomical joke. However, its origins are deeply rooted in 19th-century folk history. A "sugar tit" was an old-fashioned, homemade baby pacifier created by tying a spoonful of sugar or honey tightly inside a small piece of cloth. According to local legend, the town earned its infamous nickname because the local men spent so much time socializing at the general store that their frustrated wives complained they took to the store "like a baby to a sugar tit." The hilarious moniker stuck and remains a legendary staple of the State map.
2. Round O (Colleton County)
Heading down into the beautiful, marshy Lowcountry of Colleton County, you will eventually find the unincorporated community of Round O. When spoken out loud, the name sounds like a highly suggestive reference to a physical shape or a climactic "Big O." The truth, however, is a fascinating piece of local Native American history. The area was named after a prominent indigenous chief who had an incredibly long, difficult-to-pronounce name. Because he had a distinct, purple circular medallion tattooed on his shoulder, early English traders referred to him as "Round O." The historic, albeit slightly cheeky-sounding, name has proudly survived for centuries.
3. Ninety Six (Greenwood County)
Located in Greenwood County, the historic town of Ninety Six features a numerical name that inevitably draws giggles from out-of-towners who quickly associate it with an upside-down reference to a famously raunchy number. However, the origin has absolutely nothing to do with bedroom gymnastics. Established in the early 1700s, it was a vital colonial backcountry settlement. The name originated because early English traders and surveyors mistakenly believed the outpost was exactly 96 miles from the nearest major Cherokee settlement, Keowee. Today, it is a bustling, proud historic town that embraces its highly unique and slightly suggestive name.
4. Fingerville (Spartanburg County)
Also situated in Spartanburg County, you will find a small census-designated place with a name that immediately raises eyebrows and sounds uncomfortably like an inappropriate physical action. Despite the inevitable double-takes from out-of-state drivers passing through the village limits, the origin is entirely innocent and strictly business-related. The community was named after Joseph Finger, a prominent 19th-century businessman and industrialist who established and operated a massive, highly successful cotton mill right in the center of the area.
5. Ketchuptown (Horry County)
While not exactly "raunchy," no list of bizarre South Carolina municipalities is complete without Ketchuptown. It sounds like an absolutely absurd, tomato-heavy theme park or a novelty fast-food joke. However, the origin has absolutely nothing to do with the famous condiment. In the 1920s, a man named Herbert Small opened a tiny rural general store at a local crossroads. Because long-distance travel via wagon was incredibly slow, local farmers would gather at the store on Saturday afternoons to "catch up" on the latest news and local gossip. Over time, the phrase "catch up" evolved into "Ketchuptown," cementing a permanently hilarious and bizarre name onto the local highway signs.
