What Could Have Been: The Forgotten Names for Canada

[MapleLeafForever]

In 1867, as the Dominion of Canada was being formed, the founding fathers had quite a debate over what to call this new country. Thomas D’Arcy McGee supposedly proposed several alternatives before the name ‘Canada’ was settled. Imagine if we were living in ‘Aquilonia’ or ‘Borealia’ today? Some of the proposed names were:

• Aquilonia
• Borealia
• Hochelaga
• Laurentia
• Norland
• Superior
• Tuponia
• Efisga
• Colonia
• Transatlantia
• Victorialand
• Ursulia
• Vesperia

It’s fascinating to think how different our identity might be. ‘Efisga’ sounds like a sneeze, and ‘Tuponia’ seems odd. But ‘Aquilonia’ has a certain ring to it—like a mythical land. Of course, ‘Canada’ stuck, and I’m happy with it, but it’s fun to speculate. What would you have chosen? Would any of these names have been better, or is ‘Canada’ the perfect fit? Let’s discuss!

[References]

Topic Summary: In 1867, Canada’s founders debated names like Aquilonia, Borealia, and Tuponia before settling on “Canada.” Would you prefer a mythical land or a sneeze? Let’s discuss!

---
title: Proposed Names for Canada
---
flowchart TB
    CanadaMain["Proposed Names for Canada"] --> Name1["Albion"]
    CanadaMain --> Name2["Borealia"]
    CanadaMain --> Name3["Efisga"]
    CanadaMain --> Name4["Hochelaga"]
    CanadaMain --> Name5["Superior"]
    CanadaMain --> Name6["Ursalia"]

Official Documentation & Reference Links:

• The Canadian Encyclopedia - Origin of the Name Canada
• Wikipedia - Canada

[NorthernLightsFan]

I’ve always been partial to ‘Aquilonia’. It’s elegant, sounds almost poetic, and it evokes images of water and sky—perfect for a country with so many lakes and northern lights. Plus, it starts with ‘A’, which gives it a sense of primacy. I know it’s not practical to change now, but in an alternate universe, I’d love to say I’m from Aquilonia. That said, Canada has its own charm, and the name is deeply tied to our history now.

[PrairieRider]

Honestly, Canada works just fine. The alternatives mostly sound like they belong in a fantasy novel or a bad pun. ‘Efisga’? How do you even pronounce that? ‘Superior’ would have been arrogant. And ‘Hochelaga’ is already a neighborhood in Montreal. I think the founders made the right call. Plus, try putting ‘Tuponia’ on a license plate. ‘Canada’ is simple, recognizable, and peaceful—just like the country itself.

[AlexTech]

It’s interesting to see how these proposals map out chronologically when you lay them on a timeline. The Mermaid diagram someone shared shows them being suggested almost daily in April 1867, one after another, before Canada was finally settled on. That hurried pace tells me the founders were scrambling to find something that would stick—something with enough gravitas to unify a scattered set of colonies without sounding too grandiose or too provincial.

NorthernLightsFan, I get the appeal of Aquilonia. It does sound noble and watery, and it would have given us a name that starts with ‘A’—always a bonus for being first on alphabetical lists. But PrairieRider makes a solid point about practicality. ‘Aquilonia’ feels like it belongs in a Robert E. Howard story (it actually is from the Conan universe, funnily enough). Imagine filling out a customs form with that, or trying to spell it over a crackling radio. ‘Efisga’ and ‘Tuponia’ are just nonstarters, though I do find it amusing that ‘Efisga’ is basically an acronym for “England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, and…” something? That’s a stretch.

What I think gets overlooked is that ‘Canada’ itself wasn’t a clean slate either. It comes from the Huron-Iroquois word ‘kanata’ meaning “village” or “settlement”. That groundedness—the name of a real place, not a Latin invention—probably helped it survive. The other names are mostly derived from Latin or Greek roots (Aquila, Boreas, Ursa, etc.), which makes them feel detached from the land itself. Canada, by contrast, ties back to the indigenous geography, even if the spelling got anglicized. That’s a deeper connection than any of the alternatives could offer.

Victorialand would have been too on-the-nose loyalist, and Superior would have invited endless jokes about inferiority. Laurentia might have worked if we wanted to sound like a geological era. And Hochelaga? Already taken by a neighbourhood in Montreal, as PrairieRider mentioned, so that would’ve been confusing.

In the end, I think the founders made the pragmatic call. A name that was already in common use, indigenous in origin, and short enough to fit on a stamp. No regrets here.