Odessa - Name

Name

The origin of its name, or the reasons for naming the town Odessa, are not known. A legend regarding a link with the name of the ancient Greek colony persists, so there might be some truth in the oral tradition. The Turkish name for the district was Yedisan, meaning "seven flags", and this is a more likely explanation of the name Odessa.

There is opinion that the city was named "Odessa" by a result of an error. It was considered to be named "Odessa" after the ancient Greek city of Odessos (or Odissos), which was believed (by mistake) to have been founded in the area of Odessa. In fact Greek colony Odessos was not here but somewhere near the present day town of Varna in Bulgaria.