Vancouver - Origin of City Name

The City of Vancouver is named after the famous British navigator, Captain George Vancouver, R.N., who in 1792 named and explored Burrard Inlet, on whose shore the city stands.In April 1792, Vancouver arrived off the shores of what was to become British Columbia. Sailing through the Strait of Jaun de Fuca, he began a detailed survey of the coast which was to occupy him until his departure for England late in 1794. Captain Vancouver was not the first white man to visit the site of the future city. That distinction goes to two Spanish navigators, Narvaez and Verdia, who were on the scene a year earlier.
At the time of Captain Vancouver's visit, at least three Indian villages exisited within the city limits. These were Kokopai at Locarno Beach, Snaq on the sea front at Kitsilano, and Whoi-Whoi, close to Lumberman's Arch in Stanley Park. To these should be added the Indian village of Musqueam, still very much alive on the city's southwestern outskirts, and another village at the mouth of the Capilano River.
excerpted from 1001 British Columbia Place Names by G.P.V. & Helen B. Akrigg, Discovery Press 1969