About Ontario (Government of Ontario, Canada)

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The Origin of the Name "Ontario"

There are various interpretations as to the actual origin of the name "Ontario." The Archives of Ontario have found three sources and translations of the name, all of which are derived from an Iroquoian word. The Archives of Ontario has also found a source that disputes the Iroquoian translation of the three names. The three possible sources and the questioning of the translation are as follows:

The name is said to be a variation of the word "kanadario" which means "sparkling or beautiful water." This word was originally used to describe the large body of water that is currently known as Lake Ontario. The use of the word later grew to include the area of land along the shores of the lake and beyond. Source: Armstrong, G.H. The Origin and Meaning of Place Names in Canada . Toronto: Macmillan, 1930.
The name may be a variation of the term "Onitariio" which translates to "beautiful lake." Use of this term was also traced to identify the body of water currently known as Lake Ontario and later to include the land surrounding the lake. Source: Hamilton, William B. The Macmillan Book of Canadian Place Names . Toronto: Macmillan, 1978.
The name is said to have developed from the term "Skanadario" which is reported to mean "very pretty lake." Source: Beauchamp, William M. Aboriginal Place Names of New York . Albany: New York State Education Department, 1908.
It has been stated that the translations of the names given could not have been as descriptive as suggested. "In 1683 Fr Louis Hennepin had said that the name meant 'beautiful lake,' but beauty in geographical features is a concept alien to Aboriginal naming. In one or more of the Iroquioan languages, such as Huron, Mohawk and Seneca, the name probably means simply 'a large body of water.'" Source: Rayburn, Alan. Place Names in Ontario . Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1997.

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