Los Angeles was named 'El Pueblo de la Reina de los Ángeles' (The Town of the Queen of the Angels) by Spanish missionaries in 1769, honouring the Virgin Mary. The full name was progressively shortened to Los Angeles over the following century as American settlement replaced Spanish colonial administration.
| Country | United States |
| Region | CA |
| Population | 3,820,914 |
| Language of origin | Spanish |
| Type of name | Religious origin |
Etymology & History
Los Angeles is a ppla2 located in CA, United States. With a population of approximately 3,820,914, it is one of many communities whose name tells a story about the region's past.
Understanding why places are named as they are gives us a window into history — the languages spoken, the people honoured, the landscapes encountered and the cultures that shaped the world we live in today. The field of toponymy (the study of place names) reveals that almost every name has a meaning, even when that meaning has been obscured by centuries of linguistic change.