Ever wonder how Wawa got its name?
I did. When I first moved to New Jersey from upstate New York – the land of Stewart's and Nice N Easy – I saw the convenience stores and wondered how they came up with that rather funny-sounding moniker.
Then I saw the goose on the store's logo. Feeling pretty smart, I thought back to my French classes, where we learned that the French word for goose is oie, pronounced: "wa."
That must be it, I told myself: There's a goose on the logo, and the name is a reference to geese. Two geese. Wawa. Voila! Mystery solved.
It wasn't until a few months later, when I decided to actually check my facts, that I found out I had been wrong all along.
The answer is pretty simple: Wawa is named after Wawa, Pa., where the first Wawa, a dairy, was founded.
But the story behind the words doesn't end there. Here's where it gets interesting: The town in Pennsylvania was so named because that's what the local Native American tribe called a certain bird. That bird? The Canada goose.
Two languages with little historical association have a very similar term for a very particular bird. Being a gigantic nerd – and, relatedly, a bird enthusiast – I thought this etymological coincidence was pretty cool. So I called the public radio show A Way With Words to ask whether it really was a coincidence. A Way With Words, based in California, is syndicated on radio stations coast-to-coast, and is also available as a podcast.
You can listen to my discussion with Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett, the language experts that host the show, here:
In short, there's no definitive conclusion. It's possible that the two languages came up with a similar-sounding name for the goose independently. If you're skeptical, think of it like you can think of all eerie coincidences: Think about all the words in both languages that don't sound alike.
There's also the possibility that both words are onomatopoetic – that is, the words imitate sounds associated with what they're describing, like buzz and murmur. The Canada goose does make a sound similar to "wawa," so it's possible that both the Ojibwa word "wawa" and the French word "l'oie" are based on the goose's honking characteristic. (Update: One reader casts doubt on this interpretation.)
For the convenience store and gas station chain, what started as a geographical marker has become a deep part of the Wawa culture, said spokeswoman Lori Bruce. The company embraces the goose as an icon of teamwork. That's why it's on the store's logo, and that also explains the feathered mascot.
"To this day, Wawa's corporate headquarters are still located in Wawa and the Canada Goose is now a literal and metaphorical symbol for our company," Bruce said in an email. "Like a flock of Canada Geese flying in 'V' formation, we pride ourselves on teamwork and encouragement. We think it's the only way to fly."
The store's mascot is Wally, a giant Canada goose and the company's "Chief Honker," will be at the Woodbridge store opening on Friday.
The chain has a historical foothold in the southern part of the state, but it's now migrating north, we presume in a V-formation.