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, a couple of entries still pending, no photos with the streets yet, layout not finalized...

This started with a book (last few pages under review) and so far 1889 of the 1891 articles entered, 1 or 2 links may 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

Karl Marxi

(Karl Marx, 1818-1883)

Capitalist writer. Three stars on amazon.com. Soviet occupation renaming (1968-1990) of Sõle.

Karnapi (?)

Meaning unknown. Possible derivative of a (Swedish?) person’s name? Perhaps a modification of kanep:kanepi, hemp, cannabis? A karn:karni is a butcher’s, but not sure where this could lead (and despite its resemblance to the carn- of carnivore, karn comes, oddly, from MLG schrange / schranke, a butcher's or baker's market stall or point of sale. The -pi ending may be a contraction of -pere/-perre, see Lillepi. Area on the southern rim of Aegna island, bordering Karnepi kõrgendik, or Karnep Heights. See also Kurikneeme.

Kärneri (Kärner)

Gardener. From German Gärtner; today, the slightly more nationalistic aednik is preferred. ‘Slightly’ because half the word is Estonian, aed (see Aia), the other half a Russian suffix. Apparently after the place where the Haabersti estate gardener lived. See also Sügise and Šnelli.

Karsti (Karst)

Karst. Thus named due to the existence of karst. Close to Lehtri. (While you’re here, check out the Kostivere karstiala (Kostivere Karst Area).

Käru (Käru)

One of the group of streets named for stations on the Tallinn-Türi Kitsarööpa line. Also means barrow or pushcart. See Türi.

Karu (Karu)

Bear. First recorded as Medvedjevi tn after Russian property owner – bear in Russian is медведь (medved), from Proto-Slavic *medvědь, honey-eater, suggested to have developed as a means of skirting an Indo-European taboo word for bear – later translated and/or transliterated to other variants, Bärenstraße, Medwedi tn, etc., and temporarily renamed Kingissepa V. from 1940-1941. The new Jewish synagogue is at No.16. Only street set with two anagrams: Kura and Raku.

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Wanted!

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