Dull, Boring and Whynot - a gallery of places with silly names

The village of Dull, near Aberfeldy in Perthshire, is to twin with the town of Boring in Oregon. Photograph: Simon Price/Alamy

At least the residents of Boring in Oregon see the funny side now that they've reached out across the Atlantic. Photograph: Public Domain

Endless thefts of this sign, amorous couples hard at it on the verges and the world laughing at them combined to make the residents of this Austrian village want to change its name - so far without success. Photograph: Vova Pomortzeff /Alamy

Tightwad in Missouri was apparently named after a particularly parsimonious greengrocer. Photograph: Public Domain

A sign for Whynot, near Seagrove, North Carolina. And, indeed, why not? Photograph: Heymo Vehse/Alamy

It's easy to see why residents of Shitterton near Bere Regis in Dorset wanted to change their village's name to Sitterton. Photograph: Malcolm Case-Green/Alamy

The seaside village of Muff, in County Donegal, Ireland, boasts a very popular scuba diving club. Something to do with the name, perhaps? Photograph: George Sweeney/Rex Features

We're sure Crapstone in Devon is lovely, but the name is a little offputting. Photograph: Public Domain

They speak plainly in God's Own County, so Crackpot probably says everything you need to know about this North Yorshire village. Photograph: Andrew Linscott/Alamy