How Each Province and Territory Was Named

Why Saskatchewan, Ontario or Prince Edward Island?

Canada has 10 provinces and three territories. They all have unique names that reflect their history and culture, but where did those names come from?

Today, I am going to explore how each province gained its name, going from west to east for the provinces and east to west for the territories.

British Columbia:

Originally, the southern portion of the province was named for the Columbia River. The central region was named New Caledonia. To avoid confusion with Colombia, Queen Victoria named it British Columbia in 1858.

Alberta:

The province was named for Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria. She was the wife of the Marquess of Lorne, the Governor General of Canada when the District of Alberta was created in 1882. This district name was then applied to the province in 1905.

Saskatchewan:

The name comes from the Cree word for the Saskatchewan River, Kisiskatchewanisipi, which means swift-flowing river. Through time, this was shortened to Saskatchewan when the District of Saskatchewan was created in 1882. When Saskatchewan became a province, the name was applied in 1905.

Manitoba:

The name comes from the Cree as well, their word "Man-into-wahpaow", which means the narrows of the Great Spirit. This was their name for Lake Manitoba, which narrows at its centre. The name was suggested for the province in 1870 by Louis Riel.

Ontario:

This name comes from the Iroquois word kanadario, which means sparkling water. In 1641, Ontario described the land along the easternmost part of the Great Lakes. In 1867, Ontario was adopted for the province’s name.

Quebec:

The word comes from the Algonquin word for narrow passage or strait, which describes the St. Lawrence River. Quebec has gone through many names including Canada, New France, Lower Canada & Canada East. Quebec was adopted as the name in 1867.

New Brunswick:

The name was chosen in 1784 to honour King George III, who was also the Duke of Brunswick.

Nova Scotia:

Named by Sir William Alexander, the official charter was in Latin and New Scotland is Nova Scotia in Latin.

Prince Edward Island:

The island's name was adopted in 1799 to honour Prince Edward, the fourth son of King George III and the father of Queen Victoria. Previously, French settlers called it Ile St-Jean.

Newfoundland and Labrador:

King Henry VII of England called the land John Cabot landed on in 1497 as New Found Launde, which became Newfoundland. Labrador is named for João Fernandes Lavrador, a Portuguese explorer who sailed there in 1498-99.

Nunavut:

In Inuktitut, Nunavut means "our land".

Northwest Territories:

Prior to 1870, most of the north and west of Canada was known as North-Western Territory.

Yukon:

The name likely comes from the word Yu-kun-ah, meaning Great River. Indigenous called the spot where the Porcupine River meets the Yukon River "youcon", which is another possible source for the name.