Name-changing is one of the most significant aspects of branding. Business entities, institutions, and even people change their names for various reasons. However, it’s not every day that you see a city change its name, as they are always too iconic to do so. That said, some popular cities have gone on to change their names for various reasons, anyway. Here are 12 such examples.
1. New York City (Formerly New Amsterdam)
While New York City in the United States is a famous destination, not everyone knows it was initially called New Amsterdam. When the Dutch moved into Manhattan during the 17th century, they named their settlement “Nieuw Amsterdam”, which translates to New Amsterdam.
At the time, it was the capital of Nieuw Nederland, a Dutch colony established on the Northeastern front of America. After the British took over during the 2nd Anglo-Dutch War, New Amsterdam was renamed New York to honor the Duke of York in England. The city has retained that name ever since and has grown to be iconic.
2. Toronto (Formerly York)
To honor Prince Frederick, the Duke of York, the British named this establishment York in 1793. However, in the War of 1812, York faced the wrath of the American forces, prompting its name change to Toronto in 1814. This coincided with when the region was being turned into a city, and the residents were part of those who were for the renaming.
3. St Petersburg (Formerly Petrograd and Leningrad)
St Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia, underwent two name changes under different leaderships in the Soviet Union. Before the most recent alteration, it was originally known as Petrograd and was Russia’s capital until 1917.
This great city was built under the rule of Tsar Peter the Great, deriving inspiration from the leader’s time in Amsterdam. After Vladimir Lenin took over, Petrograd was renamed to Leningrad. This lasted until 1991 when the city was renamed again to St Petersburg.
4. Kitchener (Formerly Berlin)
Kitchener is a marvelous city in Ontario, Canada, which was called Berlin until 1916. This name didn’t sit right with the Canadians because it referenced Germany, which wasn’t very popular at the time. Therefore, when the residents were called to pick new names for the city, they settled for Kitchener. It was renamed after Earl Kitchener, the man with a pointy moustache whose image was used in World War I recruitment pictures.
5. Ho Chi Minh City (Formerly Saigon)
This is one of the relatively unsuccessful city name changes because many people, including Ho Chi Minh City residents, still call it Saigon. The former capital city of Vietnam was known as Saigon until the end of the war with the United States of America in 1975. Ho Chi Minh was a revolutionary leader in Vietnam at the forefront of upholding the country’s rights.
6. Mumbai (Formerly Bombay)
Many cities in this country were renamed to celebrate India’s independence from Britain. Examples include Kolkata from Calcutta and Chennai from Madras. Mumbai, India’s capital, was initially called Bombay during the British Colonial period. Bombay was coined by the Portuguese, who had visited that area before. It translated to Bom Baim or Good Harbor and was renamed Mumbai in 1995.
7. Istanbul (Formerly Constantinople)
Istanbul in Turkey was called Constantinople or the City of Constantine for many decades. Constantine the Great coined the name, and was retained even when the city was under Ottoman rule in the 1400s. However, seven years after the Republic of Turkey was formed in 1923, the City of Constantine was renamed Istanbul, now a famous tourist destination.
8. Oslo (Formerly Christiania or Kristiania)
Historians are convinced Oslo, the capital city of Norway, was founded in 1040 when it was called Anslo. In 1624, this Norwegian city experienced a huge fire that destroyed almost all the buildings. It was rebuilt under the leadership of King Christian IV, who then changed the name to Christiania or Kristiania. That name was used for centuries before the original one, Oslo, was restored in 1925.
9. Dushanbe (Formerly Stalinbad)
During the Joseph Stalin era, the biggest city in Tajikistan, Dushanbe, was renamed Stalinbad. This happened in 1929 and lasted until 1961. After the end of the Stalin era, Stalinbad was renamed Dushanbe as part of the “de-Stalinization” efforts in Tajikistan and other parts of the world.
10. Donetsk (Formerly Yuzovka, Stalino and Aleksandrovka)
The city of Donetsk in Ukraine was known as Aleksandrovka during the 1700s before it was renamed Yuzovka in 1869. As the Soviets became more popular, it was called Stalino after Joseph Stalin. It was renamed Donetsk in 1961.
11. Regina (Formerly Pile O’ Bones)
The city of Regina in Saskatchewan was initially called Pile O’ Bones. The name was given by the Cree settlers whose way of life revolved around hunting buffalos, eating their meat, and piling up their bones, believing that other buffalos would come to look at those bones and be hunted. In 1882, the Governor General of Canada visited and changed the name to Regina, a Latin word for the Queen. The locals sometimes call it the City of Queens.
12. Kinshasa (Formerly Leopoldville)
Kinshasa was named after Leopold II when it was under Belgium’s rule. However, when Congo gained its independence, it began Africanizing the names of the cities named by their colonial masters. Kinshasa was renamed after the village of Kinchassa, which was once located within that city.