ToponymicaUS City Name Origins
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Classical/Biblical

Philadelphia

Pennsylvania (PA)est. 1682pop. 1,550,542/fil-uh-DEL-fee-uh/

The meaning

“Brotherly love (philos + adelphos)”

How it got the name

William Penn, a Quaker seeking a refuge of religious tolerance, chose a Greek compound meaning 'brotherly love.' He was pointing at the Book of Revelation, where Philadelphia is the one church that receives no rebuke. The choice was a mission statement: a city planned on a grid, open to all faiths, with no city walls.

Former names

  1. Wicaco (Lenape settlement area)
  2. Philadelphia