How New York Got Its Name: From New Netherland to Duke of York

A Royal Rebranding in 1664

New York (city and colony) was named after James, Duke of York and Albany — the future King James II of England — following the English conquest of New Netherland.

The Sequence

1. 1609: Henry Hudson (Dutch East India Co.) explores river → Dutch claim.
2. 1624: New Netherland founded; capital New Amsterdam on Manhattan.
3. 1664: English fleet (Col. Richard Nicolls) arrives; Director-General Stuyvesant surrenders without fight.
4. Sept 1664: Renamed New York in honor of the Duke (King Charles II's brother).
5. 1673–74: Brief Dutch recapture as New Orange; returned to England by Treaty of Westminster.
6. 1685: Duke becomes James II; colony becomes royal province.

Why "York"?

• James's title derived from York, England (ancient Roman Eboracum, Viking Jorvik).
• Naming colonies after royalty was standard (Virginia, Carolina, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania).
• Albany (NY capital) also named for his Scottish title (Duke of Albany).

Legacy

The name survived revolution (1776), statehood (1788), and massive immigration. "New Netherland" lives on in place names (Harlem, Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island, Broadway, Wall Street, Coney Island, Yonkers) and Dutch legal/cultural influences.