Boca Raton

The True Meaning Behind “Boca Raton”

By Morgan Cruz, MHI Marketing Content Coordinator |@mhi_morgan

Does Boca Raton really mean “Rat Mouth”? I asked myself this question back in the early stages of designing the MHI Annual Conference marketing pieces. I’ve never given it much thought before, but I quickly found myself writing and speaking the word everyday as we worked to brand the conference and bring it to life.

My advanced spanglish skills tell me that the literal translation of the spanish “Boca Raton” means “Mouse Mouth”. Many people wrongly assume the name is simply Rat’s Mouth. Now why would such a beautiful destination like Boca Raton have such an ugly name?

After some research, I’ve learned that the meaning of the city’s name has been subject to debate for years. One researcher has argued “boca” also means “inlet” and “raton” was a old navigator’s way of describing jagged rocks that could be a hazard to ships similar to a rodent eating away at the bottom of a ship.

The Boca Raton Historical Society and Museum says that Boca Raton was named after a jagged area of the Biscayne Bay called Boca de Ratones. By the beginning of the nineteenth century the term was mistakenly applied to the current Lake Boca Raton and the “s” and “e” were later dropped.

Boca Raton

Other meanings for Boca Raton appear in Spanish Literature from the 1500s and 1600s as “thieves inlet”. The Spanish accused the native Tequesta Indians of the Biscayne Bay of steeling in the mid-sixteenth century. The accusations remained for two centuries later.

Lastly, another meaning for raton is “dragging” or “hauling”. This definition could describe a shallow inlet, accessible only to boats that could be dragged or hauled across the shallow water.

Whatever the true story is one thing is true. The name Boca Raton is derived from it’s unique and adventuresome history. Just make sure you say the name of the city right: It’s Raton as in “rah-tone,” not “rattan.” (The city passed an ordinance in 1982 trying to put a stop to mispronunciation).

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