What does the word Chicago mean? That’s a question many locals and visitors from around the world are asking, but first you have to find the Windy City‘s true namesake. Actually, historians still haven’t fully settled on an answer. You may know it as Windy City, Chi-Town, Second City, and City of the Big Shoulders, but what does Chicago mean when you look into its furthest origins? It’s a good question to chew on before or after you take in the view from Skydeck, since the whole city the name describes is laid out below The Ledge. Before hitting the must-see attractions, learn more about Chicago’s meaning, history, and inhabitants.
Quick Summary: The name “Chicago” most likely comes from “shikaakwa,” a Miami-Illinois word, part of the broader Algonquian language family, for the wild onions and garlic that once grew thickly along the Chicago River. French explorer Robert de LaSalle recorded the name “Chicagou” in 1687, though he didn’t create it, he documented what local Native peoples already called the area. Jean Baptiste Point du Sable settled the area in the late 1700s and is recognized as Chicago’s founder, and the city was incorporated as a town in 1833 before officially becoming a city in 1837.
¿Qué significa la palabra "Chicago"?
The most-accepted Chicago meaning is a word that comes from Miami-Illinois, an Algonquian language: “shikaakwa,” meaning “striped skunk” or “onion.” According to early explorers, the lakes and streams around Chicago were full of wild onions, leeks, and ramps.
The first known reference to Chicago as we know it today comes from the explorer Robert de LaSalle. In his memoir of late September 1687, he writes: “We arrived at the said place called ‘Chicagou’ which, according to what we were able to learn of it, has taken this name because of the quantity of garlic which grows in the forests in this region.”
Los pueblos de Miami e Illinois aplicaban la misma palabra a "cebolla" y "mofeta" por el penetrante olor de tantas cebollas y ajos silvestres. Parece apropiado para una ciudad famosa ahora por su pizza de plato hondo y sus sabores atrevidos.
The exact origin remains debated because early colonial records spelled and interpreted the name differently, some as “Eschikagou,” others as “Chicagou” or “Chekagou,” and because several closely related Algonquian languages used similar words for wild onion, garlic, and skunk. That ambiguity is why “most-accepted” is as far as most historians will commit.
Chicago’s Name Through History
As you dive into the origin of the word Chicago, it’s also worth tracing how the name and the city itself took shape over time. In the mid-18th century, the Lake Michigan area was inhabited by the Native American Potawatomi tribe, and previously the Miami, Sauk, and Fox peoples.
- 1687: French explorer Robert de LaSalle records the name “Chicagou” in his memoir, the earliest known written reference to the name.
- Late 1700s: Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, a French-African explorer, becomes Chicago’s first non-Indigenous permanent settler, establishing a trading settlement along the Chicago River. He’s recognized today as the founder of Chicago.
- 1833: Chicago is officially incorporated as a town.
- 1837: Chicago is incorporated as a city.
- Today: The wild-onion marshland LaSalle once described has grown into a global city, and Skydeck offers the clearest way to see the whole story laid out at once, 103 floors above the ground the name was first written down for.
Explore the City of the Big Shoulders 1,353 Feet Off the Ground!
Ahora que conoces un poco la historia de Chicago, ¡es hora de visitarla por ti mismo! Visita la emblemática Torre Willis y descubre otras cosas que hacer en la ciudad con Skydeck.
Preguntas frecuentes
How Do You Spell Chicago?
Chicago is spelled C-H-I-C-A-G-O. It’s a common misspelling target, occasionally written as “Chicagoe” or “Chigaco,” but the correct spelling has stayed consistent since the city’s founding.
When Was Chicago Founded?
Chicago was incorporated as a town in 1833 and officially became a city in 1837. The area had been inhabited long before that by Native American peoples, including the Potawatomi, Miami, Sauk, and Fox.
¿Quién fundó Chicago?
Jean Baptiste Point du Sable is recognized as the founder of Chicago. He was the first non-Indigenous permanent settler in the area, establishing a trading settlement along the Chicago River in the late 1700s that laid the groundwork for the city that followed.
Is Chicago a French Word?
No. While the earliest written record of the name comes from French explorer Robert de LaSalle in 1687, the word itself isn’t French. It comes from “shikaakwa,” a Miami-Illinois word from the Algonquian language family, for the wild onions and garlic that grew along the Chicago River. LaSalle documented the name; he didn’t create it.