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Edo (Tokyo, Japan)
Tokyo, often called the heart of Japan, was founded around 3000 BC, with Edo being its original name. It was named after the inhabitants of the Kanto region, belonging to the Edo clan. At that time, the city consisted of simple fishing villages built in bays, with houses constructed from basic materials like bamboo and paper. Edo became the focus of the Tokugawa dynasty, and its generals made it their capital in 1603. Over the next few centuries, it developed into a powerful urban center.
The Meiji Restoration in 1868 brought about significant changes to the city when the Tokugawa shoguns were overthrown and the Japanese Emperor was restored to power. The throne was moved from Kyoto to Edo, and the city was renamed "Tokyo," meaning "Eastern Capital."
Lutetia (Paris, France)
"The most romantic city in the world" and "City of Lights" are two of the most popular names for Paris, France. But in Roman times, the city was known by a far less poetic name, Lutetia, given by the Celts, meaning "place near the swamp".
The Parisii tribe settled here in the third millennium BC. When Julius Caesar took over Lutetia in 52 BC, he transformed it into a true Roman town with baths, amphitheaters, and an aqueduct. The ruins can still be seen in the city's Latin Quarter.
In the fourth century, after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the city was renamed "Paris" as it originally was.
Trimount (Boston, Massachusetts)
Boston, Massachusetts, also known as Tremontaine or Trimount, was the first European colony, named after the three-peaked hills that formed a peninsula on Massachusetts Bay. These hills were Vernon Hill, Beacon Hill, and Pemberton Hill. In 1630, after a popular vote, the city was officially renamed Boston (after the town of Boston in England).
Not only did the old names disappear, but the hills themselves vanished due to land reclamation projects that exploited the three Boston peaks in the 19th century. Now, all that remains of the peninsula is the Beacon Hill neighborhood, with streets named Mt. Vernon and Tremont.
Batavia (Jakarta, Indonesia)
Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, is the result of a struggle by the country's residents for the right to name their own country. Its origins date back to 1527, when the Sultan of Bantam defeated the Portuguese colonists at the mouth of the Ciliwung River. To celebrate his victory, he named the area Jayakarta, meaning "victory."
A century later, those profiting from the Dutch East India Company seized the city and established a trading post there, naming it Batavia after a Germanic tribe ancestor of the Dutch. Having become wealthy from this colony, the city came under Dutch control. Until 1949, when Indonesia gained independence, Jakarta became the city's officially recognized name.
York (Toronto, Canada)
The city of Toronto was founded in 1793 by the British general John Graves Simcoe, who believed its harbor location would easily protect its inhabitants from American massacres. Tkaronto was the city's original name, a name Simcoe disliked, as it meant "place where trees stand in the water" in Mohawk. Lord Dorchester, Simcoe's superior, suggested naming the settlement after him, but Simcoe was uninterested. Therefore, Simcoe named the town York after the Duke of York.
However, the city's name didn't last long; in 1834, when the city was incorporated, the government chose to name it Toronto, a variation of the original Mohawk name meaning "sound and music."
Kristiania (Oslo, Norway)
The capital of Norway, Oslo, is located in the heart of the Akershus fortress. This ancient castle was built by King Haakon V in the 14th century. However, in 1624, a major fire destroyed much of the city. King Christian IV, wanting to name the place after himself, seized the opportunity to decide that the city would be rebuilt beneath the walls of Akershus. Thus, Oslo (meaning "meadows below the hill") became "Christiania."
In 1877, to conform to the Norwegian language, the name was pronounced "Kristiania," but its popularity was rather slow. In 1905, after Norway gained full independence from Sweden, the city's old name was increasingly used to reinforce national pride, and Oslo became the official name in 1925.
Salisbury (Harare, Zimbabwe)
Harare, Zimbabwe, is a land where ancient African civilizations coexist with towering skyscrapers. In 1890, when British colonists led by Cecil Rhodes first settled there, they called it "Salisbury Fortress"—not because of the English cathedral city near Stonehenge, but because the name was given in honor of the Prime Minister, who also happened to be the Queen of Salisbury.
This area served as a military settlement of the Rhodesian colony until 1980, when Zimbabwe gained independence from Britain. To commemorate the nation's second independence, the capital was renamed "Harare"—a powerful name, honoring the 19th-century Shona chieftain.
Bombay (Mumbai, India)
If you've ever wondered why Mumbai is the home of "Bollywood" and not "Mollywood," here's the answer. Bombay is the city's old nickname, given by the Portuguese, and it means "corrupt" in English. They may pronounce it differently, such as Bombain, Bombeye, or Mombaim, but Bombay is the most accurate pronunciation.
However, in local Indian languages such as Gujarati and Marathi, the name Mumbai became more common, stemming from the Marathi goddess Mumbadevi. In 1995, Bombay was renamed Mumbai when a new party came to power in the city government. Bombay has since been seen as a relic of the city's colonial past. Although Bombay no longer exists, many locals still refer to this once vibrant city by its old name.
Yerba Buena (San Francisco, California)
Many of California's famous place names originate from the West Coast of Mexico, with Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco all having Spanish names. San Francisco, however, wasn't actually the original name of the "Golden Gate City." In the 18th century, the city was first called Yerba Buena ("good herbs") by Mexican pioneers, because it was home to many rare and fragrant herbs.
In 1847, the Mexican-American War broke out, the United States won, and the city was renamed San Francisco, honoring the mission of building the first cathedral on the bay of St. Francis. Now, all that remains of Yerba Buena is a city district famous for its excellent cuisine, art, and museums.
