Name of Montreal
Encyclopedia
There are some hypotheses concerning the origin of the name of Montreal. The most known is the one that finds it to be a variant of mont Royal.
, Archbishop of Monreale? in honor of Claude de Pontbriand, son of the Seigneur de Montréal? or simply in honor of the king? No explanation has been given".
Claude de Pontbriand, the Seigneur de Montréal (landlord of the Château de Montréal
), accompanied Jacques Cartier
on his expedition up the Saint Lawrence River
, and was with him on October 3, 1535, when he reached Hochelaga
, on the site of the present day city of Montreal
.
Among the hypotheses concerning the origin of Montreal's name, the most acceptable to Toponymy
is the one that finds it to be a variant of mont Royal. Note that in the 16th century réal was a variant of royal, hence the contraction of Mont Royal that gave Mont Réal or Montréal, as we have it today.
The name Montréal referred first to the mountain, then to the island
and finally to the city itself.
. When the missionary society, the Société Notre-Dame pour la conversion des Sauvages, sent Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve
to found a city on the island of Montréal
in 1642 they named the settlement Ville-Marie, in honour of the Virgin
, protectress of the venture. Nonetheless, from the very beginning both the settlement of Ville-Marie and the mountain were known as Montréal to many people, including to some of the map-makers of the period. In the 18th century, for no official reason, the name Montréal supplanted that of Ville-Marie. Up until then, the city was called, sometimes simultaneously, sometimes separately, Montréal and/or Ville-Marie.
Hypotheses concerning the origin of the name
The historian Marcel Trudel asked the following question: "where does the name "Mount Royal" come from? in honor of Cardinal de MediciIppolito de' Medici
Ippolito de' Medici was the illegitimate only son of Giuliano di Lorenzo de' Medici.Ippolito was born in Urbino. His father died when he was only five , and he was subsequently raised by his uncle Pope Leo X and his cousin Giulio.When Giulio de' Medici was elected pope as Clement VII, Ippolito...
, Archbishop of Monreale? in honor of Claude de Pontbriand, son of the Seigneur de Montréal? or simply in honor of the king? No explanation has been given".
Claude de Pontbriand, the Seigneur de Montréal (landlord of the Château de Montréal
Château de Montréal
The Château de Montréal is a château in the Dordogne department located near the commune of Issac, in southwestern France. It overlooks the valley of the Crempse River....
), accompanied Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier was a French explorer of Breton origin who claimed what is now Canada for France. He was the first European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, which he named "The Country of Canadas", after the Iroquois names for the two big...
on his expedition up the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
, and was with him on October 3, 1535, when he reached Hochelaga
Hochelaga (village)
Hochelaga meaning "beaver dam" or "beaver lake" was a St. Lawrence Iroquoian 16th century fortified village at the heart of, or in the immediate vicinity of Mount Royal in present-day Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Jacques Cartier arrived by boat on October 2, 1535; he visited the village on the...
, on the site of the present day city of Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
.
Among the hypotheses concerning the origin of Montreal's name, the most acceptable to Toponymy
Toponymy
Toponymy is the scientific study of place names , their origins, meanings, use and typology. The word "toponymy" is derived from the Greek words tópos and ónoma . Toponymy is itself a branch of onomastics, the study of names of all kinds...
is the one that finds it to be a variant of mont Royal. Note that in the 16th century réal was a variant of royal, hence the contraction of Mont Royal that gave Mont Réal or Montréal, as we have it today.
The name Montréal referred first to the mountain, then to the island
Island of Montreal
The Island of Montreal , in extreme southwestern Quebec, Canada, is located at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers. It is separated from Île Jésus by the Rivière des Prairies....
and finally to the city itself.
Ville-Marie
The original name for the settlement that would later become Montreal was Ville-MarieFort Ville-Marie
Fort Ville-Marie was a fortress outpost of France in North America. It is the historic nucleus around which the original settlement of Montreal grew.Given its importance, the site of the fort was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1924....
. When the missionary society, the Société Notre-Dame pour la conversion des Sauvages, sent Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve
Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve
Paul de Chomedey, sieur de Maisonneuve was a French military officer and the founder of Montreal.- Early career :...
to found a city on the island of Montréal
Island of Montreal
The Island of Montreal , in extreme southwestern Quebec, Canada, is located at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers. It is separated from Île Jésus by the Rivière des Prairies....
in 1642 they named the settlement Ville-Marie, in honour of the Virgin
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
, protectress of the venture. Nonetheless, from the very beginning both the settlement of Ville-Marie and the mountain were known as Montréal to many people, including to some of the map-makers of the period. In the 18th century, for no official reason, the name Montréal supplanted that of Ville-Marie. Up until then, the city was called, sometimes simultaneously, sometimes separately, Montréal and/or Ville-Marie.
Timeline
- In the modern Iroquois language, MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
is called Tiohtià:ke. Other native languages, such as AlgonquinAlgonquin languageAlgonquin is either a distinct Algonquian language closely related to the Ojibwe language or a particularly divergent Ojibwe dialect. It is spoken, alongside French and to some extent English, by the Algonquin First Nations of Quebec and Ontario...
, refer to it as Moniang. - 1535 – October 3, Jacques CartierJacques CartierJacques Cartier was a French explorer of Breton origin who claimed what is now Canada for France. He was the first European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, which he named "The Country of Canadas", after the Iroquois names for the two big...
climbed up the Montreal mountain and name it Mont Royal. He wrote: "Nous nommasmes icelle montaigne le mont Royal." (We named the said mountain mont royal.) The name Montréal is generally thought to be derived from "Mont Royal", the name given to the mountain by Cartier in 1535. - 1556 – On his map of Hochelega, Italian geographer Giovanni Battista RamusioGiovanni Battista RamusioGiovanni Battista Ramusio was an Italian geographer and travel writer.Born in Treviso, Italy, Ramusio was the son of Paolo Ramusio, a magistrate in the city-state of Venice...
wrote Monte Real to designate Mont Royal. - 1575 – In his Cosmographie universelle de tout le monde, historiographer François de BelleforestFrançois de BelleforestFrançois de Belleforest was a prolific French author, poet and translator of the Renaissance. He was born in a poor family and his father was killed when he was seven...
was the first to use the form MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
with reference to this area. In translation it would read: "let us now look at Hochelaga, ... in the midst of the countryside is the village, or Cité royale, adjacent to a mountain on which farming is practiced. The Christians call this city Montreal...". - 1601 – On his map, Guillaume Le Vasseur wrote Hochelaga for the inhabited area and called the hill mont royal.
- 1609 – Marc LescarbotMarc LescarbotMarc Lescarbot was a French author, poet and lawyer, best known for his Histoire de la Nouvelle-France , based on his expedition to Acadia and research into French exploration. Considered one of the first great books in the history of Canada, it was printed in three editions, and was translated...
called the settlement: "Hochelaga, ville des Sauvages". - 1612 – On Champlain's map the mountain is called Montreal.
- 1642 – The mission named Ville Marie was built at Place Royal.
- 1705 – Montreal is now the official name for the city formerly named Ville-Marie.
Nicknames
- The City of Saints
- "The city of a hundred bell towers" - Mark TwainMark TwainSamuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
in 1881. - La métropole (in French)
- Sin city - During the period of the Prohibition in the United StatesProhibition in the United StatesProhibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
, because of the Montreal night life, it became well known as one of North America's "sin cities" with unparalleled nightlife.
External links
- Where does the name Montréal come from?
- http://geonames.nrcan.gc.ca/education/montreal_e.php