The Palmer River flows through the municipalities of Saint-Pierre-de-Broughton and Saint-Jacques-de-Leeds, in the regional county municipality (MRC) of the Les Appalaches Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of Chaudière-Appalaches, in Quebec, in Canada.

Its origin remains unknown despite research carried out with local pioneers and also many mining prospectors of this time.

However, locals generally referred to this watercourse as the "Palmer River".

The valley of this river, immediately south of Saint-Pierre-de-Broughton, contains varieties of reeds that people refer to as palms.

[2] The toponym "rivière Palmer" was made official on December 5, 1968, at the Commission de toponymie du Québec.