What Does "Ontario" Mean? Origin of the Name

"Ontario" comes from the Iroquoian (likely Huron/Wyandot) word kanata or onnionta, meaning "beautiful water," "sparkling water," or "great lake."

Etymology

• First recorded: 1613, by Samuel de Champlain, describing the lake.
• Lake Ontario: Named first; then the region.
• Linguistic root: Iroquoian kanata ("village/settlement") or onnionta ("great lake"). Related to "Canada" (from kanata).

Historical Adoption

• New France: Used for the lake and surrounding territory.
• British Quebec (1791): Divided into Upper Canada (Ontario) and Lower Canada (Quebec).
• 1841: United Province of Canada – Canada West (Ontario).
• 1867: Confederation – Ontario becomes one of four founding provinces.

Other Places Named Ontario

• Lake Ontario (Great Lake).
• Ontario County, New York (Finger Lakes region).
• Ontario, California (Inland Empire, named after the province by Canadian settlers).
• Ontario, Oregon; Ontario, Ohio; etc.

Pronunciation

on-TAIR-ee-oh (IPA: /ɒnˈtɛərioʊ/). Abbreviation: ON.

The name evokes the province's 250,000+ lakes and its water-defined geography.