Origins Of Names Of Cities In Canada
Origins of the names of cities in Canada lists the names and origins of names of cities across Canada:
City | Province | Language of origin | Explanation |
---|---|---|---|
Airdrie | Alberta | Scottish Gaelic | Named for Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, in Scotland. Possibly originally from gaelic An Àrd Ruigh meaning a level height or high pasture. |
Barrie | Ontario | English | Named for Sir Robert Barrie, who was in charge of the naval forces in Canada and frequently had to portage from Lake Simcoe to Georgian Bay |
Calgary | Alberta | Scottish Gaelic | Named for Calgary, Mull, which originated from the Scottish Gaelic "Cala ghearraidh", meaning "beach of the meadow (pasture)" |
Charlottetown | Prince Edward Island | German | Named for Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, consort of George III of England |
Edmonton | Alberta | English | Named for Edmonton, London |
Fredericton | New Brunswick | English | Named for the second son of King George III of the United Kingdom, Prince Frederick Augustus, Duke of York |
Grande Prairie | Alberta | French | Named for its location, literally it means "great meadow" or "big prairie". |
Greater Sudbury | Ontario | English | Named for Sudbury, Suffolk in England; "Greater" added in 2001 when the city of Sudbury was amalgamated with six suburban municipalities. |
Halifax | Nova Scotia | English | Named for George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax, President of the Board of Trade |
Hamilton | Ontario | English | Named for George Hamilton, the city's founder |
Iqaluit | Nunavut | Inuktitut | Inuktitut word meaning "many fish" |
Lethbridge | Alberta | English | Named for William Lethbridge. |
Markham | Ontario | English | Named by William Berczy to honour Sir John Markham |
Medicine Hat | Alberta | English / Blackfoot | Translation of Blackfoot Saamis, a type of headdress worn by medicine men. |
Mississauga | Ontario | Anishinaabe | Named for the Mississaugas who originally inhabited the area |
Moncton | New Brunswick | English | Named for Lieutenant Colonel Robert Monckton, who capture nearby Fort Beauséjour |
Montreal | Quebec | Middle French | Named for "Mont Réal", or Mount Royal, a geological feature located within the city |
Ottawa | Ontario | Odawa | The Ottawa Valley was the traditional home of the Algonquin people (Anishinaabe) who called the Ottawa River the Kichi Sibi or Kichissippi' meaning "Great River" or "Grand River". Despite the name of the city, the Ottawa people, another First Nation who lived far to the west along Georgian Bay and Lake Huron never lived in the area, but rather maintained a trade route along the Ottawa River for a relatively short time. |
Quebec City | Quebec | Algonquin | French transcription of the Algonquin word "kébec", which means "where the river narrows" |
Red Deer | Alberta | English / Cree | Mistranslation into English of the Cree name for the Red Deer River, Waskasoo Seepee, which means "Wapiti River" or "Elk River", North American elk (aka Wapiti) are often confused with European Red Deer). |
Regina | Saskatchewan | Latin | Named by Princess Louise, wife of the then-Governor General of Canada the Marquess of Lorne in honour of Queen Victoria; Regina is the Latin word for queen. |
Richmond Hill | Ontario | English | Named by Benjamin Barnard after the folk song The Lass of Richmond Hill, about Richmond Hill, London |
Richmond | British Columbia | English | Named by Hugh McRoberts for Richmonds Farm in Australia |
St. Albert | Alberta | French | Named by Bishop Alexandre-Antonin Taché after Father Albert Lacombe and his patron name saint Albert of Louvain. |
St. John's | Newfoundland and Labrador | English, Basque or Spanish | Named for the feast day of Saint John the Baptist, which was the date of landing by John Cabot. The name by Basque fishermen for the bay of St. John's was similar to the Bay of Pasaia in the Basque region, and one of the fishing town called St. John (in Spanish, San Juan) |
Sault Ste. Marie | Ontario | French | Named for the rapids in the St. Mary's River. |
Thunder Bay | Ontario | English, French | Named for the bay on which the city is located, which was originally labelled Baie du Tonnerre on French maps in the 17th century. The name was chosen by referendum in 1969. |
Toronto | Ontario | Iroquoian | Derived from word "tkaronto", meaning "place where trees stand in the water" |
Vancouver | British Columbia | English | Named for Captain George Vancouver, an officer of the British Royal Navy. |
Vaughan | Ontario | English | Named for Benjamin Vaughan, a British commissioner who signed the peace treaty with the United States in 1783. |
Victoria | British Columbia | English | Named for Queen Victoria |
Whitehorse | Yukon | English | Named for the White Horse Rapids, which were said to look like the mane of a white horse |
Winnipeg | Manitoba | Cree | Western Cree word meaning "muddy waters" |
Yellowknife | Northwest Territories | Dene Suline | Named for the Yellowknives Dene First Nation |
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