BC Geographical Names Office

Other jurisdictions name highways, streets, bridges, and legally defined areas like municipalities, parks, and protected areas. For example, local and regional governments name infrastructure within their boundaries—such as streets, plazas, and city parks

The BCGNO is responsible for overseeing the official naming and renaming of geographical features, ensuring that names are accurate, and official decisions are culturally respectful, and reflective of the diverse histories and values of communities across the province. It maintains the BC Geographical Names Information System, a comprehensive database containing all past and present official names. The office also represents British Columbia on the Geographical Names Board of Canada, the national body that coordinates the country’s place naming principles, standards, and guidelines.

Official geographical names are used on provincial and federal maps and charts, in official names datasets, and are searchable through the BC Geographical Names Web App. Official names may change over time to better reflect community values, embrace respectful naming practices, respond to environmental changes, or recognize names that have existed for millennia.

The BC Geographical Names Office acknowledges the deep cultural and historical significance of Indigenous place names and is committed to advancing reconciliation through all aspects of our work. This commitment includes, but is not limited to:

• Working respectfully and collaboratively with First Nations governments and organizations on geographical naming projects;
• Engaging meaningfully with all First Nations whose traditional territories include geographic features under consideration for official name changes, ensuring their feedback is central to our decision-making;
• Honouring First Nations’ sovereignty over their cultural heritage, including their discretion in choosing what and how place name information is shared; and
• Providing accessible resources to support public learning and awareness of Indigenous place names.

Explore the sections below to continue learning more about geographical naming in B.C. and discover how to use the BC Geographical Names Web App to find detailed information about place names in B.C.

About the BC Geographical Names Web App

The BC Geographical Names Web App is a map-based application that allows users to search past and present official place names, along with other recorded names in the BC Geographical Names Information System (BCGNIS). Search results are linked to name records, that may include:

• Information on a name’s origin or significance
• Audio or simple text pronunciation keys for First Nations names
• Official naming history of a place

Ways to Search

There are multiple ways to search for geographical names within the web app. Search types are listed in the drop-down Search menu on the web app:

By Place Name

Search for a specific name using text input. An asterisk (*) can be used as a wildcard in your searches.

By Language

British Columbia is home to diverse First Nations and settler communities who speak a wide array of languages. Find place names rooted in various languages, language families, or dialects using the language search feature.

Location-Based Searches

• Near a Point – Find place names within 5 or 10 km of a selected location by clicking a point on the map or entering latitude and longitude.
• In the Current Map Area – Find place names within the map view.
• Near Me – Find place names within 5 or 10 km of your device’s location (requires location services to be enabled).

Other Search Methods

• Tagged Names – Discover place names grouped by theme. Tags showcase trends in name origins.
• Recent Decisions – Find place names that have been officially changed recently. Input a number of days to define the date range of your search.
• Changes by Date – Search for place names that had their name record updated within a specific date range.

Filtering Search Results

Search results can be refined using various filters:

• Feature Type – Narrow results by geographical feature (e.g., rivers, mountains, parks).
• Name Authority – Filter results based on the responsible body who made the name official.
• Language – Filter results by the language, language family or dialect.
• Tags – Click “More Options” and select a tag to display related names.
• Official Names – Toggle the “Only official names” checkbox to include or exclude previous official names and other recorded names.
• Limit to current map area – Toggle the “Limit to current map area” checkbox to only see results viewable in the map area.

Name Records

Once a name is found, click “More Information” in the name pop-up to see more details. Name records may include:

• Location and feature details
• History of official names
• Name origin and language
• Pronunciation tools for Indigenous names (audio and/or text-based)
• History and other names of the place
• Images

Launch App: BC Geographical Names

Names with this tag

Names with Indigenous origins are used daily (Haida Gwaii, Nanaimo, Sechelt, Coquihalla), sometimes by people who are unaware of where the names come from or that they are using an Indigenous name. Several official names in B.C. derive from Indigenous place names or words that were interpreted and recorded by early European settlers and may not accurately represent the original language. Where available, recorded information on the origin or significance of names in the BCGNIS can be found on the respective online name records, accessible through the BC Geographical Names Web App. The Province now works in partnership with First Nations to record and officially recognize their names in the orthographies (or writing systems) that properly represent their languages.

Examples of different types of names included in this tag:

The Indigenous tag encompasses a range of names, each with a distinct history. Below are categories of names included in the tag, reflecting different naming practices.

First Nations names:

Submitted directly from First Nations governments and communities in their preferred orthographies. For thousands of years First Nations in B.C. named the lands and waters in accordance with their naming conventions. These names were in well-established use long before European contact but were mostly disregarded and replaced during colonization. Working with First Nations governments and communities to recognize their names supports reconciliation, the implementation of United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and is the fastest growing field of work for the BCGNO. The majority of these names have pronunciation tools available on their online name records to help learn them.

• ʔEniyud (pronounced: Enni-yoot)
• Ts'im K'ol'hl Da oots'ip (pronounced: sim-kol DAW-AW zip)
• Taaw Tldáaw (audio available on name record)
• tinwis (pronounced: ti-nu-wis)
• K’iyán Mountain (pronounced: KEY-yawn)

Anglicized First Nations names:

For many decades, some First Nations names were interpreted and recorded by non-Indigenous people using the English alphabet. This sometimes resulted in simplifying names, inaccurate translations, or First Nations words and terms being mistaken for place names.

• Omineca River
• Nootka Sound
• Kazchek Creek
• Kunghit Island
• Knockan Hill

Subjective words derived from Indigenous languages:

Historically, many places were named using Indigenous words subjectively selected by government representatives. For example, it was common for early surveyors to use "Indian Dictionaries" to create geographical names for maps and charts. Occasionally, words from Indigenous languages from outside of B.C. were used for official names. Like anglicized First Nations names, these names and their translations are interpretations of Indigenous languages by non-Indigenous people using the English alphabet and may not accurately reflect the original language.

• Katlum Creek
• Kelowna
• Aka Creek
• Esja Peak
• Gote Creek

Commemorative names for Indigenous people:

There are many commemorative names for Indigenous people, often for prominent chiefs, local trappers, or exploration guides. Many of these names were chosen by government representatives. Naming places to honour individuals is a very common European practice but historically done rarely by Indigenous communities. There are also many places named after a nearby First Nations community.

• Capilano River
• Anahim Lake
• Squamish River
• Wickaninnish Island
• Kitimat River

Names without origin information:

Some of the Indigenous names in the BCGNIS do not include information on their origins for various reasons. There were several colonial policies designed to disrupt Indigenous cultures and the transmission of Indigenous knowledge which have had lasting consequences, including the loss of long-standing First Nations place names or the meaning and origin of the name. There are also many geographical names that were recorded by government representatives that did not include information on the meaning, language, or community it came from.

• sḵelhp (audio available on name record)
• Xeni (pronounced: hunee)
• Hoda Creek
• Oweegee Range
• Chuunk Mountain

Discover more Indigenous-tagged names by exploring the web app:

Launch App: BC Geographical Names

Changing a place name consists of several steps. The processes to remove or rescind a place name and adopt a new name are similar, but establishing new names contains extra steps to ensure the new name is best suited for adoption. All proposals will be shared for comment with respective local and First Nations governments whose boundaries and territories include the feature, as well as with relevant regional organizations.