10 Famous Cities That Are Bigger Than the City They Were Named After
Cities don’t always stay in the shadows of the places they’re named after. A settlement once borrowed a name from an older European town or an ancient capital, and over time, the new version drew more people, built more influence, and developed a stronger identity of its own. The contrast can be striking: modest origins on one side, global recognition on the other. Here are ten cases where the adopted name went on to eclipse the original.
New York City vs. York
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When the English captured New Amsterdam in 1664, they renamed it New York in honor of the Duke of York. York in northern England, famous for its medieval cathedral and Viking history, has about 210,000 people, whereas New York City has roughly 8.5 million residents plus a metro area topping 19 million. It’s hard to imagine Broadway, Wall Street, or Times Square fitting inside York’s narrow cobblestone lanes, yet that’s the city it all traces back to.
New Orleans vs. Orléans
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Orléans, in central France, is best known for its connection to Joan of Arc and its long medieval history. The Louisiana city that borrowed its name in 1718 grew into something very different. New Orleans became a center of music, food, and celebration, with Mardi Gras, jazz clubs, and Creole cooking defining its character. While Orléans has about 120,000 residents, the New Orleans metro area now counts well over a million.
Boston, Massachusetts vs. Boston, Lincolnshire
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Boston in Lincolnshire is a modest English town tied to farming and the River Witham, with a population in the tens of thousands. When settlers carried its name to New England, the new Boston quickly took on a very different role. The harbor became the stage for a protest that helped launch the American Revolution, and the city went on to grow into a center of education, medicine, and culture. Today, the Massachusetts version sits at the heart of a metro approaching five million, a scale far beyond its rural namesake.
Glasgow, Montana vs. Glasgow, Scotland
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Glasgow, Montana owes its name to a railroad clerk’s random choice on a map, and today it remains a prairie town with only a few thousand residents. At one point it was even dubbed the “middle of nowhere” in the United States. The Scottish Glasgow, by contrast, is a major city of more than 600,000, long tied to shipbuilding and now known for its music and nightlife. Aside from the name, the two places share little beyond weather that inspires complaints on both sides.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania vs. Philadelphia, Turkey
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In western Turkey, the ancient city of Philadelphia—now called Alaşehir—was founded more than two thousand years ago. It’s a modest place today, far smaller than the American city that borrowed its name. William Penn’s Philadelphia grew into a center of independence and later a symbol of American culture, from historic halls to movie landmarks. With more than a million residents, it long ago outpaced the population of its namesake.
Naples, Florida vs. Naples, Italy
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Naples in southern Italy is a city of nearly a million, famous for its pizza, volcanic backdrop, and layers of history. The Florida version, named in the late 1800s to attract settlers and investors, is far smaller, with about 20,000 residents. What it lacks in size, it makes up for in wealth: the Gulf Coast city is lined with beaches, golf courses, and luxury homes that place it among the richest communities in the United States.
Halifax, Nova Scotia vs. Halifax, England
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Halifax in West Yorkshire is a market town of under 100,000, long tied to textile mills and industrial history. Across the Atlantic, the name was given to a new settlement in Nova Scotia in 1749, and that city has since grown into the largest center in Atlantic Canada. With more than 400,000 people, a major naval base, and universities that draw students from across the region, Halifax, Nova Scotia, has become a hub in its own right.
Edmonton, Canada vs. Edmonton, London
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What began as a small English village eventually disappeared into the sprawl of modern London. But the settlers who brought the name to western Canada created something entirely different. Edmonton, Alberta now tops one million people, serving as the capital of its province and a hub of Canada’s energy economy. From hosting NHL hockey to boasting the continent’s largest shopping mall, this Edmonton makes its old namesake look like a historical footnote.