La Jolla, a word of doubtful origin, said by some persons to mean a “pool,” by others to be from hoya, a hollow surrounded by hills, and by still others to be a possible corruption of joya, a “jewel.” The suggestion has been made that La Jolla was named from caves situated there which contain pools, but until some further information turns up this name must remain among the unsolved problems. There is always the possibility also that La Jolla means none of these things but is a corruption of some Indian word with a totally different meaning. More than one place in the state masquerades under an apparently Spanish name which is in reality an Indian word corrupted into some Spanish word to which it bore an accidental resemblance in sound. Cortina (curtain) is an example of this sort of corruption, it being derived from the Indian Ko-tina.
Laguna del Corral (lagoon of the yard). Corral is a word much in use to signify a space of ground enclosed by a fence, often for the detention of animals. In one of the diaries an Indian corral is thus spoken of: “Near the place in which we camped there was a populous Indian village; the inhabitants lived without other protection than a light shelter of branches in the form of an enclosure; for this reason the soldiers gave to the whole place the name of the Ranchería del Corral (the village of the yard).” There are other corrals and corralitos (little yards) in the state.
Linda Vista (charming or pretty view), is the name of a place ten or twelve miles due north of San Diego.
Point Loma (hill point). Loma means “hill,” hence Point Loma, the very end of the little peninsula enclosing San Diego bay, is a high promontory.
De Luz (a surname), that of a pioneer family. The literal meaning of the word luz is “light.”
Del Mar (of or on the sea), the name of a place on the shore about eighteen miles north of San Diego.
La Mesa (literally “the table”), used very commonly to mean “a high, flat table-land.” La Mesa, incorrectly printed on some of the maps as one word, Lamesa, lies a few miles to the northeast of San Diego.
Mesa Grande (literally “big table”), big table-land, is some distance to the northeast of San Diego.
El Nido (the nest), is southeast of San Diego, near the border.
Potrero (pasture ground), is just above the border line. There are many Potreros scattered over the state.