The origin of the name "Ottawa" is derived from the Algonquin word adawe, meaning "to trade". The word refers to the indigenous peoples who used the river to trade, hunt, fish, camp, harvest plants, ceremonies, and for other traditional uses.

What does Ottawa mean?

noun, plural Ot·ta·was, (especially collectively) Ot·ta·wa for 5. a city in and the capital of Canada, in SE Ontario. ... a member of a tribe of Algonquian Indians of Canada, forced into the Lake Superior and Lake Michigan regions by the Iroquois confederacy. the Ojibwa language as used by the Ottawa Indians.

How did Ottawa get its name?

The name Ottawa is derived from the Algonquin word “adawe”, which means “to trade”. The settlement was originally incorporated as Bytown in 1850. The name was changed to Ottawa in 1855.