With a linguistic history as complex and layered as Montreal's, it can be hard to guess the origins of the many place names that colour the city. Thankfully, one self-proclaimed etymology nerd has made a handy infographic map that shares some of the roots behind names like Hochelaga, Lachine and Pointe-Claire.
Adam Aleksic is a Harvard linguistics student with a strong interest in the origins of words. His Instagram account, @etymologynerd, has over 18,000 followers and posts infographics detailing the roots of brand names, place names, fish names and more.
Aleksic's homemade infographic highlighting the origins of many place names across Montreal.@etymologynerd | Instagram
"I've been making a series of city etymology infographics for four years now," Aleksic told MTL Blog over email. "I particularly chose Montreal because I knew it would have a fascinating combination of French, English and Indigenous names."
Many of the places detailed in the infographic are simply named after notable people: like Cartierville, from Canadian defence minister George-Étienne Cartier, or Villeray, named for local politician Louis Rouer de Villeray. But others are a bit more interesting, like the petty reason behind Lachine's name.
The borough is named after the failed exploits of explorer Robert La Salle, whose fruitless search for a path to China ended in a Montreal place name in mockery of his lofty goal — la Chine. Thankfully for him, there's also a borough named for him that isn't in jest (you can probably guess which one).
It's worth noting that the names featured in this infographic are largely French and English colonial terms, even those that derive directly from Indigenous words in the Iroquoian language family. Hochelaga, for instance, is named for a word that Aleksic credits as meaning "either 'beaver path' or 'big rapids.'" It was the name of a local village that no longer exists.
Despite his now-deep knowledge of Montreal's etymologies, Aleksic has actually never been to the city. "This was a cool way to learn more about Montreal before I go!" he told MTL Blog. Frankly, it's more information than many people who actually live here are storing in their brains.
This article's right-hand cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
