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!

Home

Seli (?) Symbol designating a Tallinn "Asum", or Sub-district.

Named after a nearby farm, although the origin of the name is as obscure as the actual avenue (puiestee) itself which looks more like a footpath that gives up before it gets there. One red herring is the Seli Mõis 45 km south of Tallinn recorded to have belonged to Pirita convent in 1474 (the MLG for German Seele [soul] was sēle which, other than morphing into English ‘silly’, is as tempting as it’s misleading...). Given expressions such as selili for ‘on one’s back’ or selildi for ‘back to back’, placenames like Selimägi aka Seljamäe küla (hillslope village) are clearly related to Selja, and Seli derives from either this or seljandik (range of hills). Soviet occupation renaming (1982-1994) as Jüriöö.

Seljaku (Seljak)

Bank*, ridge. See Selja.

* Not the one you're thinking of, but all author proceeds from the sale of this book (print or e-reader) will go to the Tallinn Children’s Hospital Foundation, Tallinna Lastehaigla Toetusfond (see previous post. If you have a couple of bucks to spare, please visit https://www.toetusfond.ee/donate, thanks!

Sepa (Sepp)

Smith, blacksmith (also ‘yeast’ in some dialects). Like ‘wright’ in English, the sepp ending corresponds to ‘maker thereof’, giving terms such as katelsepp (boilermaker, cf. English ‘kettle’), sadulsepp (saddle-maker), through to veebisepp (webmaster). See also Sossimäe. One of a mini trade-name area, see Treiali. Anagram of Pesa.

Sepapaja (Sepapaja)

Smithy, blacksmith’s shop or forge. This being the Dvigatel factory built on order of Tsar Nicholas II and completed in nine months of 1899 with 2000 laborers for the purpose of manufacturing wagons, later expanding to bridges and metal parts in general. Although paja is an obsolete word for ‘smith’ or ‘workshop’, it seems to be making a comeback as a ‘makerspace’ or ‘hackerspace’ for making or 3D-printing hardware. Part of a mini iron-working group. See also Sepise.

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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.