History Pre-settlement The area that ultimately became the present-day North Jersey had been occupied for thousands of years by prehistoric indigenous peoples. At the time of European encounter, it was settled by the Lenape Native Americans. The Lenape language word for the area, Peremessing, which meant that it had an abundant population of wild turkey, was anglicized to become the word "Paramus".Citizens Semi-Centennial Assoc., 1919, Ridgewood, Bergen County, New Jersey, Past and Present , p. 3. Accessed October 6, 2019. "The name 'Paramus' is said to be derived from the Indian 'Peremessing', descriptive of the fact that the country abounded in wild turkey. The first white settlers called it 'Peremesse' from which the transition was gradually made to the present form, Paramus."Cheslow, Jerry. "If You're Thinking of Living In/Paramus; In Shopping Mecca, Houses Sell Well Too" , The New York Times, April 15, 2001. Accessed May 23, 2012. A large metal statue of a wild turkey in the Paramus Park mall commemorates this history. Another alternative derivation is that the word means "pleasant stream".Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names , New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed November 13, 2015.
History Pre-settlement The area that ultimately became the present-day North Jersey had been occupied for thousands of years by prehistoric indigenous people?s. At the time of European encounter, it was settled by the Lenape Native Americans. The Lenape language word for the area, Peremessing, which meant that it had an abundant population of wild turkey, was anglicized to become t,he word "Paramus".Citizens Semi-Centennial Assoc., 1919, Ridgewood, Bergen County, New Jersey, Past and Present , p. 3. Accessed October 6, 2019. "The name 'Paramus' is said to be derived from the Indian 'Peremessing', descriptive of the fact that the country abounded in wild turkey. The first white settlers called it 'Peremesse' from which the transition was gradually made to the present form, Paramus."Cheslow, Jerry. "If You're Thinking of Living In/Paramus; In Shopping Mecca, Houses Sell Well Too" , The New York Times, April 15, 2001. Accessed May 23, 2012. A large metal statue of a wild turkey .in the Paramus Park mall commemorates this history. Another alternative derivation is that the word means "pleasant stream".Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names , New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed November 13, 2015.