What’s with Skokie’s Name?

What’s with Skokie’s Name?

What does the word Skokie mean; where did it come from?

When did Skokie change its name and why?

What was its original name?

Skokie was originally called Niles Centre (Niles Center), as it was in the center of Niles Township. 

The residents of Skokie voted to change the name of the village to Skokie in 1940, and the name officially changed on November 15, 1940. In the 1930s, residents of Niles Center decided to make a change, but why?  Different reasons for the change have been posited:

• The Village of nearby Niles also existed, which created some confusion.
• Prior to the 1930s, Niles Center was a very rural community of greenhouses, farms and taverns. Residents and Village officials were looking for a way to develop Niles Center into a modern community and encourage new residents into the area. Also, in Niles Center’s then recent past were a number of speakeasies because of Prohibition, possibly affecting the Village’s reputation. A new name gave the village a new beginning.

The name Skokie comes from part of a Potawatomi or Mascoutin, Native American groups who lived in the area, phrase or word meaning big swamp or swamp land.  Much of the area of Skokie was originally marsh or swamp land.