Reviewed by: Amelia Pilgrim
Arab: Learn the interesting story behind one of Alabama’s most uniquely named towns
Reading time: 2 minutes
Have you heard of Arab, Alabama? This uniquely named town sits less than 30 miles from our downtown streets.
Let’s find out more about the town and how the name came to be👇
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Arab: it’s all in the name
Like most people who hear the name of this North Alabama city, you’re probably wondering “why in the world is it named that?” And that is honestly a good question to raise.
The town was originally known as “Thompson’s Village,” named for the town’s founder, Stephen Tuttle Thompson.
While many uniquely named towns often come from literal descriptions or jokes within the town, Arab’s name comes from an unintentional misspelling of the intended name.
Originally, the town was to be named Arad, for the founder’s son, Arad Thompson. The U.S. Postal Service misspelled the name when Thompson was applying for a post office. And the name stuck.
Most of the residents have embraced the name as sort of a town quirk, and have become used to repeating themselves when asked where they are from.
More info about Arab:
- ✍🏻 Arab was incorporated as a town in 1892.
- 👥 As of the 2020 Census, Arab has an approximate population of 8,500.
- 📏 Also according to the Census Bureau, Arab has a total area of 13.4 square miles (roughly 17x smaller than Huntsville).
- 🐦 Interestingly, two other names were also being considered for the town—”Bird” and “Ink.”
- 🎤 Arab is the hometown of U.S. Judge Liles Burke, former Detroit Tigers pitcher Jack Lively + artist Nall Hollis.
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