Why Nueva York?

Question

Why is it Nueva York and not Neuvo York?

Answer 1

I'm shooting: maybe because the word "ciudad" is feminine? That's what I found in Wiki:

"La ciudad de Nueva York es la ciudad más poblada del Estado de Nueva York, de los Estados Unidos de América y la segunda aglomeración urbana del mundo."

Dear natives, please help!

• Sure, if you´re gonna try to be all reasonable-like. - webdunce Nov 15, 2009
• Sounds logical to me because it is a ciudad and therfore feminine. - kenwilliams Nov 15, 2009

Answer 2

I was still under the influence of a dose of Benedryl when I coined the name. Sorry.

• jjejejejejejej, voting!!! - Heidita Nov 15, 2009
• ¡aaaaaiiiiii, yi yi ! :D - aloshek Nov 15, 2009

Answer 3

mother earth, mother nation, 'mother' new york...i hazard it's just the way things are in the world...people that created these words decided it'd be feminine related. By the same argument: neuva york ...i guess historically new york was referred to as a "her"

Answer 4

Hi blueshift, funny post but if it had been correctly spelled...much better

Remember this is a learning site, we are all learners here

Cities are normall feminine in Spanish.

Pocid and blueshift, welcome to he site

Answer 5

Nueva York = La nueva ciudad de York.

Nuevo León = El nuevo reino de León.

And yes, the gender of the noun determines what to use: nueva for feminine, and nuevo for masculine.

La Nueva España, even country's names have gender in Spanish.

But, Newfoundland, literally means nuevas tierras (descubiertas), but in Spanish is Terranova. I guess is Latin, "terra" = land, "nova" = new.

• you've just explained where my tent's name comes from! i have a terranova voyager tent and always wondered what it meant :). Thanks! - blueshift86 Nov 21, 2009