Chautauqua is a town and lake resort community in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 4,464 at the 2010 census. The town is named after Chautauqua Lake. The traditional meaning remains "bag tied in the middle". The suggested meanings of this Seneca word have become numerous: "the place where one is lost"; "the place of easy death"; "fish taken out"; "foggy place"; "high up"; "two moccasins fastened together"; and "a bag tied in the middle".