Why Canada?

There are a lot of place names is the world that are derived from already existing place names - New York, New Zealand and so on - but Canada isn’t one of them.

The name “Canada” probably comes from the word ‘kanata’. ‘Kanata’ is a Huron-Iroquois word that means “village” or “settlement.” In 1535, two Aboriginal youths told French explorer Jacques Cartier how to get to their village, their ‘kanata’. That village is now the site of the present-day City of Québec. For lack of another name, Cartier used the word “Canada” to describe not only the village, but the entire area controlled by its chief, Donnacona.

The name was soon applied to a much larger area and, while the entire region was known as New France, everything north of the St Lawrence River was called Canada.

Leading up to confederation, a number of names were suggested for the northern half of the continent of North America, including Albertsland, Albionora, Borealia, Britannia, Cabotia, Colonia, Efisga, Hochelaga, Norland, Superior, Transatlantia, Tuponia and Victorialand, but Canada already existed and Canada was the name that would stick.

On July 1, 1867, the provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick became “one Dominion under the name of Canada.”