The Origin of Vancouver Names

by Maggie Chandler on April 22, 2008

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We walk down our City streets and drive around our Vancouver neighbourhoods every day, ever wonder who Vancouver streets are named after?

I’m a bit of a history buff , so thought I’d check out the British Columbia Encyclopedia to see what our forefathers did to get a street named after them. Here’s what I found.

Cambie - named after Henry J. Cambie, born in County Tipperary, Ireland. He came to B.C. in 1874 to work on the railways, and was in charge of the Fraser Canyon stretch of the C.P.R

Coal Harbour - named for the 1859 discovery of veins of coal here, ranging in thickness from 4″ to 15″.

Denman - after Rear-Admiral Joseph Denman, Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Station 1864-66

Davie - Hon. A.E.B. Davie was Vancouver’s first B.C. Premier in 1887 and was Vancouver’s openly first homosexual politician.

Point Grey - named by Captain Vancouver for his friend Captain George Grey of the Navy, who commanded H.M.S. Victory. Was originally named Punta de Langara by the Spanish, in honour of Admiral Don Juan de Langara

Jericho Beach - takes its name from Jeremiah (Jerry) Rogers; from his camp at Jerry’s Cove, Rogers started logging in Point Grey in 1864-5.

Trimble – named after Dr. James Trimble, a surgeon in the Royal Navy who took up practice in Victoria in 1858. He became mayor of Victoria, then speaker of the provincial legislature from 1872 to 1878.

Burrard Inlet - named in 1792 after Captain Vancouver’s friend Sir Henry Burrard, his former shipmate aboard H.M.S. Europa in the West Indies in 1785.

Howe Sound - named by Captain Vancouver after Admiral Richard Scrope, Earl of Howe, who was nicknamed “The Sailors’ Friend” and “Black Dick”.

Kitsilano - derived from the name of a Squamish Indian who came from a village on the Squamish River and settled in Stanley Park around 1860. When the C.P.R. wanted a name for the new subdivision created around 1905, Prof. Charles Hill-Tout suggested modifying this Squamish Indian’s name so that it corresponded to Capilano across the inlet.

Granville - in honour of the British Secretary of State for the Colonies, Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl of Granville.

Captain George Vancouver -(1757-98) was a British naval officer and explored Alaska, BC, Washington, Oregon and the southwest coast of Australia.

Morton Avenue – John Morton was one of the 3 Greenhorns who bought District Lot 185 (what is now the West End and consists of 540 acres) for %50.75 in 1882.

Robson Street – named after the Hon. John Robson, Provincial Secretary in 1883 and BC Premier

Kerrisdale – In 1905 a young Scottish couple named McKinnon were invited by the BC Rail to name the new station at what is now 41st Avenue, they called it Kerrisdale, after her home in Scotland.

MacKenzie Heights – is also a Scottish name

Strathcona – named after the Scottsman Lord Strathcona, a pioneer of the Hudson’s Bay Company and the CPR.

Have a favourite Vancouver name you’d like to share with us?

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Tagged as: neighbourhood names, Vancouver Real Estate

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