What is the derivation of the name Cambridge?
In 1638, the General Court and the town agreed to change Newtowne’s name to Cambridge. It is generally agreed that this decision was made because many of the men who comprised the court had attended Cambridge University in England and thought that it would be an appropriate name for a college town in New England. In England, Cambridge was named after “the bridge over the River Cam.” However, the Charles River had already been named after King Charles I, and the colonists apparently made no effort to rename the river too.
