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Canada's Provinces
and Territories The origins of their names
CANADA
Although time has indelibly imprinted "Canada" on the map of the
northern half of the continent of North America, numerous other
names were suggested for the proposed confederation in 1867. Among
these were: Albertsland, Albionora, Borealia, Britannia, Cabotia,
Colonia, Efisga (a combination of the first letters of England,
France, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, and Aboriginal lands), Hochelaga,
Norland, Superior, Transatlantia, Tuponia (an acrostic for the
United Provinces of North America), and Victorialand. The debate was
placed in perspective by Thomas D'Arcy McGee, who declared (February
9, 1865), "I read in one newspaper not less than a dozen attempts to
derive a new name. One individual chooses Tuponia and another
Hochelaga as a suitable name for the new nationality. Now I ask any
honourable member of this House how he would feel if he woke up some
fine morning and found himself instead of a Canadian, a Tuponian or
a Hochelagander." Fortunately for posterity, McGee's wit and
reasoning, along with common sense, prevailed, and on July 1, 1867,
"the provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick" became
"one Dominion under the name of Canada".
While the Dictionary of Canadianisms lists ten possible explanations
for the word (ranging from Spanish Acan Nada to a form of Canara or
Canata, a place name in southern India), the generally accepted
origin may be traced to the writings of Jacques Cartier in 1536.
While sailing up the St. Lawrence River, Cartier noticed that the
Indians referred to their settlements as kanata, which, from its
repetition, the French took to be the name of the entire country.
Such it was destined to become in 1867.
NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR
Although Newfoundland is one of the oldest place names on the
eastern seaboard, its evolution may be easily followed. It was the
"new founde isle" of John Cabot who sailed westward from Bristol in
1497; although Norsemen, Basques, and Bretons (among others) had
undoubtedly preceded him. By 1502 "New found launde" was being used
in official English documents with the French version "Terre Neuve"
appearing as early as 1510 - a clear indication of the acceptance of
the designation. Giovanni da Verrazano used the term "Terra Nova" on
his map of 1529. Newfoundland entered Confederation as the tenth
province of Canada on March 31, 1949.
Labrador -
There remains an element of uncertainty, but most authorities credit
the origin of the name Labrador to Joăo Fernades a Portuguese
explorer and lavrador, or "landholder", in the Azores. It was
probably first applied to a section of the coast of modern Greenland
and later transferred by cartographers to the northeastern coast of
the continent. The Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Volume 1,
quotes an inscription (near Greenland) on the Weimar map of 1530:
"...And as the one who first gave notice of it was a labrador of the
Azores (Joăo Fernandes), they gave it the name."
NOVA SCOTIA
Although applied first on September 29, 1621, when Sir William
Alexander (1567?-1640) received a grant of "the lands lying between
New England and Newfoundland ... to be known as Nova Scotia, or New
Scotland", the name did not become fixed on the map until after the
signing of the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713.
Prior to this, the name Acadia was generally used by the French to
denote the Maritime provinces along with adjacent portions of New
England and Quebec. The origin of the word Acadia is in dispute. It
is generally accepted to be from Archadia (Acadia), assigned by
Giovanni da Verrazano in 1524 and suggested by the classical name
for a land of rustic peace. The claim that it is of Micmac origin is
probably coincidental. The Micmac word Quoddy or Cady was rendered
by the French as cadie and meant a piece of land or territory.
NEW BRUNSWICK
Originally the territory included in modern New Brunswick was part
of Nova Scotia. The American Revolution from 1775 to 1783 resulted
in a large influx of Loyalist settlers, and agitation arose for the
creation of a new province. On September 10, 1784, the partition
took place and the "name was chosen as a compliment to King George
III (1760-1820) who was descended from the House of Brunswick."
Earlier proposals for naming the new province were: New Ireland
(suggested by William Knox, Under Secretary of State, but rejected
"because Ireland was out of royal favour"), and Pittsylvania, for
William Pitt, then British prime minister.
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
The island appears under the name Île de Saint Jean in Champlain's
narrative (1604) and on his map (1632); however, according to Ganong,
the name is of earlier origin. After its acquisition by the British
in 1759 the island was known as St. John's Island until the name was
changed in 1798 to honour Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (1767-1820),
father of Queen Victoria, then in command of the British forces at
Halifax. Separated from Nova Scotia in 1769, Prince Edward Island
entered Confederation on July 1, 1873.
QUEBEC
The name was applied first to the region of the modern city and the
word is of undoubted Algonquin origin. Early spellings: Quebecq (Levasseur,
1601); Kébec (Lescarbot, 1609); Quebec (Champlain, 1613). Champlain
wrote of the location in 1632: "It ... is a strait of the river, so
called by the Indians" - a reference to the Algonquin word for
"narrow passage" or "strait" to indicate the narrowing of the river
at Cape Diamond. The term is common to the Algonquin, Cree, and
Micmac languages and signifies the same in each dialect.
ONTARIO
The name was first applied to the lake (1641) and is traceable to
Amerindian sources. It may be a corruption of Onitariio, meaning
"beautiful lake", or Kanadario, variously translated as "sparkling"
or "beautiful" water. Later European settlers gave the name to the
land along the lakeshore and then to an ever extending area. "Old
Ontario" was a term sometimes loosely applied to the southern
portion of the province. Entered Confederation as the province of
Ontario, 1867.
MANITOBA
Created as a province in 1870, the name was probably first applied
to Lake Manitoba. There are two theories as to the origin of the
name. (1) It is of Assiniboine origin: Mini and tobow meaning "Lake
of the Prairie", or in French "Lac des Prairies", the name used by
La Vérendrye. (2) The more probable source is the Cree maniotwapow,
"the strait of the spirit or manitobau". This refers to the roaring
sound produced by pebbles on a beach on Manitoba Island in Lake
Manitoba. The noise "gave rise to the superstition among the Indians
that a manito or spirit beats a drum".
SASKATCHEWAN
The name is derived from that which was first applied to the
Saskatchewan River. In the Cree language it was known as
Kisiskatchewani Sipi, or "swift-flowing river". The explorer Anthony
Henday's spelling was Keiskatchewan, with the modern rendering,
Saskatchewan, being officially adopted in 1882 when a portion of the
present-day province was designated a provisional district of the
North West Territories. Achieved provincial status in 1905.
ALBERTA
The district of Alberta was created in 1882, and enlarged to become
a province of Canada on September 1, 1905. The name was suggested by
the Marquess of Lorne, Governor General of Canada from 1878 to 1883,
in honour of his wife, H.R.H. Princess Louise Caroline Alberta,
daughter of Queen Victoria.
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Much of the mainland region was originally known as New Caledonia;
however, this name (duplicated in South Pacific) was discarded in
favour of British Columbia. The designation appears to have
originated with Queen Victoria and was officially proclaimed in
1858. Columbia (after the Columbia River which was named by the
American Captain Robert Gray for his ship Columbia ) had previously
been loosely applied to the southern portion of the colony.
NUNAVUT
This new territory was created in 1993, to come into being on 1
April 1999. It consists of the administrative regions of Keewatin,
Baffin and Kitikmeot, which together comprise all the former
district of Keewatin, the northeastern part of the district of
Franklin, except Banks and Prince Patrick islands, and parts of
Victoria and Melville islands, and some smaller islands. In
Inuktitut Nunavut means "our land".
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Historically, the term was loosely applied to the vast lands north
and west of Lake Superior; later it signified the administrative
district which pre-dated Saskatchewan and Alberta; and from January
1, 1920, it has meant "that part of Northern Canada between the
Yukon Territory and Hudson Bay, including Baffin Island, the islands
in James Bay, Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait, and the Arctic
Archipelago".
YUKON
The territory was established on June 13, 1898, although the name,
of Amerindian origin, was first applied to the river and is from Yu-
kun-ah, meaning "great river". It was first noted in 1846 by John
Bell (1799-1868) an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company, "who
called it by what he understood to be its Indian [name]".
Source: Natural Resources Canada /
Hamilton, William B.
(1978): The Macmillan book of Canadian place names, Macmillan of
Canada, Toronto |
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