Streetsign reading "Tallinn Streets dot com" Header

Work in progress

A pile of ro ad signs half-trashed and piled up on a building-site, to indicate the site is in construction.

Website under construction, many entries missing, no photos with the streets yet, layout not finalized...

This started with a book (last few pages under review) and so far 1814 of the 1884 articles (A to Z, with 50-odd Ts remaining) entered so far, so some 5% of the links go nowhere.

Logo of the Tallinn Children's Hospital Foundation

The Book

All author earnings of A Rambling Dictionary of Tallinn Street Names to be donated to the foundation or donate here.

If anyone could help or advise as to the legal mechanism, it would be appreciated, thanks!

The Website

Not intended at the beginning, the present website is taking on a life of its own, with plans for relevant discussion forums, picture galleries and, over time, more non-streetname entries.

In theory, it will be funded by advertising relevant to people in Tallinn, to be determined.

A percentage of profits (also to be determined) to be donated to the foundation. 

Contact

Photograph of Simon Hamilton in Pikk street, Tallinn.

Apparently, a company that uses its owner's name is considered more trustworthy because they put themselves on the line.

This is me, in Tallinn this spring (2025), on a 3-month spree to check details, take photos (about 12K), explore (ave. 15K/day), and so on. I think I covered every street in Kesklinn (apart from Mõigu), most of Põhja-Tallinn and some Kristiine.

For information, please contact Simon at this address dot com, thanks!

Names

Käo

Käo (Kägu)

Common cuckoo, Cuculus canorus. Breeds in Estonia. Part of the Lilleküla bird-name group of streets. See also Käopoja.

Käokannu

Käokannu (Käokannus)

Toadflax. Lit. cuckoo’s spur, Linaria spp. Two species common to Estonia: harilik käokannus, common toadflax,  or ‘butter-and-eggs’, Linaria vulgaris, and joonik käokannus, pale toadflax, Linaria repens, both, oddly, seemingly, also known as common chaenorhinum.

Käokäpa

Käokäpa (Käokäpp)

Cowslip. Lit. cuckoo’s claw. Seems to be one of the dozen or so names for the harilik Nurmenukk, Primula veris. According to Darwin: the “cowslip is habitually visited during the day by the larger humble-bees [...] and at night by moths”. One of the Mähe flower-name group, see Küüvitsa.

  1. Käokeele
  2. Käokõrva
  3. Käolina
  4. Käopoja

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Advertise...

Your business, store or consultancy next to your street address and a percentage of your fee (to be determined) goes the the Children's Hospital fund.

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Post your favorite local photo and sponsor the foundation. Your entire sponsorship goes go the the Children's Hospital fund

Wanted!

Beautiful photos of your street or Tallinn! Send them in! No remuneration planned for now, but will be attributed according to your preferences.