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

Mändmetsa J. (Jakob Mändmets, 1871-1930)

Writer. Author of short stories about village life. Contributor to the Tartu Postimees (newspaper founded as Perno Postimees in 1857, moving name and offices to Tartu in 1886, today’s non-regional Postimees is Estonia’s biggest-selling newspaper) and Tallinn’s Uus Aeg (a short-lived [1899-1905] liberal-democratic weekly). Editor (1906-1910) of Päevaleht (newspaper of chequered history and fortunes [1905-1940]). Died on Christmas Day, acquiring a past for a present.

Maneeži (Maneež)

Manège, riding-ground. Named after the Tallinna Ratsasõidu Maneež (Tallinn indoor riding center) which opened nearby in 1879. Ignoring the ungodly earlier names of Kleine Narvsche Straße (1877, etc.) and Afonasjew-Straße (19th C), the ‘ž’ has been the cause of bitter orthographical grief, viz.: Maneesi (1885, etc.), Maneshi (1908), Maneschi (1910)...

Mängu (Mäng)

Play, game, toy. Named after a nearby fairground area, hence its immediate neighbors. Part of a mini game-name area. See Näituse.

Männi (Mänd)

Pine. harilik mänd, Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris. Commonest tree in Estonia: almost 40% of Estonian trees are pine. First known as Promenaadi until 1922, and thence to its current name via Männa, from Männas (1926-1927), meaning either ‘verticil’, a whorl or circular arrangement of, e.g., petals on a flower or leaves on a stem, or from Männa, also from Mänd, meaning a wooden whisk, possibly pine (but see Masti). Either way, next came the expected 1940-1941 switch to Ladva (from Latv), meaning treetop or... vertex.

Männiku (Männik) Symbol designating a Tallinn "Asum", or Sub-district.

Pine wood, pine grove. Street leads to corresponding Sub-district. Street is part of the E67 from Helsinki to Prague. Despite being a station on the Tallinn-Türi Kitsarööpa line, not part of the relevant group.

Männiliiva (Männiliiv)

Pine sand. What it is and why anyone would want to use it to name a street is anyone’s guess.

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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.