Montreal

The name Montreal is a linguistic evolution of Mont Réal, the Middle French spelling of Mont Royal (Mount Royal). This name was given to the triple-peaked hill at the center of the island by the French explorer Jacques Cartier in 1535. Cartier was guided to the summit by the inhabitants of the Iroquoian village of Hochelaga, and he named the mountain in honor of his patron, King Francis I of France. Before the French arrival, the site was known to the Mohawk people as Tiohtià:ke, meaning 'where the groups part,' referring to the Lachine Rapids where the St. Lawrence River branches.

In the early 17th century, the settlement was initially established as Ville-Marie (City of Mary) by Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve, as a missionary colony. However, over time, the name of the prominent mountain, Montréal, began to be used for the entire island and the growing town. By the early 18th century, Montréal had officially replaced Ville-Marie in common usage and administrative records. The demonym Montrealer (English) or Montréalais (French) reflects this royal heritage, identifying residents with the 'Royal Mountain' that remains the city's most iconic landmark.

Montreal's etymology reflects its status as a crossroads of cultures. The shift from the indigenous Tiohtià:ke to the missionary Ville-Marie and finally to the geographic Montréal encapsulates the transition from a First Nations territory to a French colonial outpost and eventually to a global metropolis. Today, the name is synonymous with a unique blend of North American energy and European flair, anchored by the mountain that Jacques Cartier climbed nearly five centuries ago.