He was born between 25 August and 31 October 1451 in the territory of the Republic of Genoa (now part of modern Italy), though the exact location remains disputed. "First, Cristoforo Colombo is the 'Italian' version of his name, and since he is thought to have been Genoese, it is likely that this would not have been his original name. The name Christopher Columbus is the Anglicisation of the Latin Christophorus Columbus. "The word Columbus means dove in Latin, and Christopher means Christ-bearer. The reasons remain unclear, although he most likely did it to make himself sound more Spanish, just as many European immigrants to the early United States anglicized their last names or changed them entirely. Gerald Erichsen is a Spanish language expert who has created Spanish lessons for ThoughtCo since 1998. "Christopher Columbus" is the English version of Columbus's name. His real name in Italian was Cristoforo Colombo In 1492 Columbus landed on an island of the Bahamas, the first European to do so. According to most accounts, Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy, as Cristoforo Colombo, which is obviously much more similar to the English version than is the Spanish one. The Spanish name Colón is widely attested. His father was Domenico Colombo, a wool weaver who worked both in Genoa and Savonaand who also owned a cheese stand at which young Christopher worke… But why are his names in English and Spanish so divergent? The common Genoese rendering is Christoffa Corombo (or Corumbo). Though it is plausible that he adopted these Latin names as back-translations of his original name, it is equally plausible that he simply chose those names because he liked them, and they were superficially similar to Cristobal Colón. Incidentally, some historians have questioned the traditional accounts surrounding Columbus' Italian origins. The Latin name Columbus is widely attested as well and was of his own choosing. His name in Ligurian is Cristoffa Corombo, in Italian Cristoforo Colombo, and in Spanish Cristóbal Colón. In fact, his name in Spanish was altogether different: Cristóbal Colón. Mai 1506 in Valladolid, (Königreich Kastilien)) war ein italienischer Seefahrer in kastilischen Diensten, der im Jahr 1492 Amerika entdeckte, als er eine Insel der Bahamas erreichte. Er wurde der erste Vizekönig des Vizekönigreichs Neuspanien. But I don't know that anybody has found actual documentation of that.". So perhaps the question that should be asked is how Cristoforo Colombo ended up as Cristóbal Colón in his adopted country of Spain. Name Christopher Columbus Birth Date c. October 31, 1451 Death Date May 20, 1506 Did You Know? In much of Latin America, the anniversary of Columbus' arrival in the Americas, Oct. 12, 1492, is celebrated as the Día de la Raza, or Day of the Race ("race" referring to the Spanish lineage). In Italian, it is Cristoforo Colombo. Christopher Columbus was a Genoese trader, explorer, and navigator. The same is true in most of the major European languages: It's Christophe Colomb in French, Kristoffer Kolumbus in Swedish, Christoph Kolumbus in German, and Christoffel Columbus in Dutch. Most historical accounts indicate that Colombo changed his name to Colón when he moved to Spain and became a citizen. Some even claim that Columbus was, in reality, a Portuguese Jew whose real name was Salvador Fernandes Zarco. Columbus' name in English is an anglicized version of the Columbus birth name. ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. Unfortunately, the answer to this question appears to be lost in history. He was from Genoa, so that might be close enough - but I am not sure if the Genovese variant of Italian had a slightly different version. The names Corombo and Colombo were common names in Italy, and I believe that these have simply been assumed to have been the original versions of his name. He was born in Genoa, Italy, in the year 1451. Columbus Day is known as the Fiesta Nacional (National Celebration) in Spain. At least 10 cities in the United States are named Columbus, and the District of Columbia was named after him, as was the Columbia River. His initial goal was to find a quicker route to Asia from Europe. According to most accounts, Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy , as Cristoforo Colombo, which is obviously much more similar to the English version than is the Spanish one. Since Christopher Columbus came from Spain, it should be obvious this English-sounding name, Christopher Columbus, wasn't the name he himself used. In other languages of the Iberian Peninsula, his name has characteristics of both the Spanish and Italian versions: Cristóvão Colombo in Portuguese and Cristofor Colom in Catalan (one of the languages of Spain). The country of Colombia was named after him, as were the Costa Rican currency (the colón) and one of Panama's largest cities (Colón). (Sometimes his first name in Spanish is rendered as Cristóval, which is pronounced the same, since the b and v sound identical.) In any case, there's little question that Columbus' explorations were a key step in the spread of Spanish to what we now know as Latin America. By using ThoughtCo, you accept our, Celebrations of Columbus in Spanish-Speaking Countries, The 8 Best Podcasts for Learning Spanish in 2020, Facts About Venezuela for Spanish Students, Equivalent of April Fools’ Day Celebrated in December, The 9 Best Books for Learning Spanish in 2020, Why Spanish Is Sometimes Called Castilian, 10 Myths About Spanish and the People Who Speak It, Facts About the Dominican Republic for Spanish Students, 5 Countries Where Spanish Is Spoken but Not Official, Spanish Vocabulary for Lent, Holy Week, and Easter, ¿Por qué celebran el Cinco de Mayo? He is credited with the discovery of … It's an interesting read, but I believe that it is somewhat in error. The name of the day has been changed to Día de la Raza y de la Hispanidad (Day of the Race and of "Hispanicity") in Colombia, Día de la Resistencia Indígena (Indigenous Resistance Day) in Venezuela, and Día de las Culturas (Cultures Day) in Costa Rica.
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