Menomonee

Menomonee is a historic and geographic name associated with the Menominee people and with various places in Wisconsin. It is an older or alternative spelling that appears in some maps, documents, and locally used place names.

The Menominee (also spelled Menominee in modern usage) are a Native American people whose traditional homeland lies in the upper Mississippi River region, spanning parts of Wisconsin and Michigan. The name is often translated as “wild rice people” in their language. The Menominee Nation is a federally recognized tribe, with a reservation and government based in Wisconsin.

Geographically, the name appears in several Wisconsin features. The Menomonee River is a tributary of the Milwaukee River in southeastern Wisconsin; its course passes near communities in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and is linked to local place names used by residents and in historical records. The river’s presence alongside settlements contributed to the use of the Menomonee spelling in local toponyms.

One notable community bearing the name is Menomonee Falls, a village in Waukesha County, Wisconsin. The village is named for the falls on the river and serves as a regional commercial and residential center within the Milwaukee suburbs.

In historical writing and cartography, “Menomonee” often appears as an alternative spelling for the Menominee or for places named after the tribe or the river. Modern usage generally favors “Menominee” for the tribe itself and retains “Menomonee” in certain Wisconsin place names and historical references.