Why is it called a typhoon?

Tornadoes are sometimes given unofficial names for the places they hit. For example one particularly destructive tornado from 2011 is know as the Tuscaloosa-Birmingham tornado as it hit the cities of Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, Alabama.

Many tornadoes, though, especially minor ones, are not given such recognition. Though for purposes of record keeping they are often simply tagged with the date and time they occurred and the county or counties affected.