There’s No Smell Of Rat In Boca Raton’s Name

Q: Does “Boca Raton” really mean “mouth of the rat?”
A: Boca Raton isn’t even grammatically correct.
In Spanish, it would translate to the awkward “mouth mouse.” It originally was Boca de los Ratones – “mouth of the mice” (not rats; the Spanish word for rat is “rata.”) In this case the translation referred to an inlet – a mouth – full of mice.
The Boca Raton Historical Society says there was, in fact, an inlet with sharp rocks that gnawed the ropes of ships rocking at anchor along the shore.
But the inlet was not in southern Palm Beach County. It was at Miami Beach. Map makers inadvertently placed it where it is now.
Read more: Boca Raton: A Pictorial History, by Donald Curl and John Johnson.
Boca Raton Historical Society: 395-6766.