Fraser River Name Origin: Not Simon Fraser the Explorer

Contrary to a common assumption, the Fraser River in British Columbia, Canada, is not named after the famous explorer Simon Fraser (1776–1862). It is named after his father, Simon Fraser Sr., a Loyalist officer who served in the British army during the American Revolutionary War.

The younger Simon Fraser, a North West Company fur trader and explorer, was the first European to descend the river to its mouth in 1808—an arduous journey that nearly cost him his life. The river was later named in honor of his father, not him, though the explorer's legacy is forever tied to the waterway he braved.