Before it was York or Toronto, the north shore of Lake Ontario held a French post called Fort Rouillé, also known as Fort Toronto, built in 1750 and 1751. The settlement later called Toronto was laid out as the town of York on August 27, 1793, and York became the City of Toronto on March 6, 1834. This page follows those name changes in order.
Fort Rouillé, also called Fort Toronto
The Ontario Heritage Trust plaque at Exhibition Place calls the post “Fort Rouillé, more commonly known as Fort Toronto” and describes it as the last French post built in present-day southern Ontario. The plaque dates construction to 1750 and 1751 and says the Marquis de la Jonquière, Governor of New France, ordered it built. The purpose was to strengthen French control of the Great Lakes and to capture the trade of Indigenous travelers heading southeast toward the British fur-trading center at Oswego. The post stood near an important portage.
Sources do not agree on every detail of the date. Doors Open Toronto gives 1749 and 1750 for the start of the work, while the Wikipedia article on the fort says completion came in spring 1751. The plaque text, which is the primary statement used here, gives 1750 and 1751. The plaque also notes that the fort was a palisaded fortification with four bastions and five main buildings. After other French posts on Lake Ontario capitulated, its garrison destroyed it in July 1759.
The name Rouillé honors Antoine Louis Rouillé, the French naval minister at the time, according to the encyclopedia sources consulted. The Ontario Heritage Trust plaque does not explain that point, so it is attributed here to secondary references only. A concrete outline and a monument now mark the location in Exhibition Place.
Fort York and the garrison of 1793
The British arrived in force after the American Revolution. The City of Toronto’s Fort York page states that the British settlement dates to 1793 and that the fort defended the town of York. Seven of the eight historic buildings now at the site were built between 1813 and 1815, after the Battle of York on April 27, 1813, when British forces evacuated and blew up the powder magazine as American troops advanced. The explosion killed and wounded soldiers on both sides and killed the American general Zebulon Pike. The City purchased the fort in 1909, and it was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1923.
The fort’s name follows the town’s. Because the site took the name of York, the old garrison and the town grew together under one label.
The town of York, 1793
The City of Toronto Archives gives August 27, 1793 as the founding date of York, when Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe laid out the town. Several secondary histories say Simcoe named it after Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany. No primary document was found for that attribution during this check, so it is reported as the common account.
York served as the capital of Upper Canada. Local histories describe it as muddy and poorly drained, which produced the nickname “Muddy York.” The original street grid around King, George, Frederick, and Princess Streets survives from this period.
Back to Toronto, 1834
The Toronto Public Library records that the act incorporating the city received royal assent on March 6, 1834, and that the new city, the first incorporated in the province, took back the earlier name Toronto. The City of Toronto Archives lists the same date. William Lyon Mackenzie became the first mayor. The first by-law, a fire-prevention measure, passed on May 10, 1834.
The reasons for choosing Toronto over York are not stated in the sources consulted for this page. The meaning of the word itself is handled in a separate article, on the origins of the name Toronto.
The names in order
| Date | Name or event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1750 and 1751 | Fort Rouillé (Fort Toronto) built | Ontario Heritage Trust |
| July 1759 | Fort destroyed by its garrison | Ontario Heritage Trust |
| August 27, 1793 | Town of York laid out | City of Toronto Archives |
| April 27, 1813 | Battle of York | City of Toronto |
| March 6, 1834 | York incorporated as the City of Toronto | Toronto Public Library, City of Toronto Archives |
Where to check the records
Researchers can consult the City of Toronto Archives for council journals and maps of the town of York, and the Toronto Public Library’s Toronto Reference Library for local history files. The Ontario Heritage Trust publishes the text of its plaques online, which allows readers to check provincial wording directly.
Frequently asked questions
What was Toronto called before it was Toronto?
The site held a French post named Fort Rouillé, also called Fort Toronto, from 1750 and 1751 until 1759. From August 27, 1793 to March 6, 1834 the town was called York.
Why was Toronto called York?
Lieutenant Governor Simcoe founded the town in 1793. Secondary histories say he named it after Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany.
When did York change its name back?
On March 6, 1834, when the town was incorporated as a city and took the name Toronto.
Is Fort York the same as Fort Rouillé?
No. Fort Rouillé was a French post of 1750 and 1751 near the present Exhibition Place. Fort York was the British garrison of the town of York, and the present buildings date mainly from 1813 to 1815.
Last verified: October 2026
Sources
- Ontario Heritage Trust, Fort Rouillé plaque (heritagetrust.on.ca)
- City of Toronto Archives, resources on former municipalities
- Toronto Public Library, March 6 article on the 1834 incorporation (tpl.ca)
- City of Toronto, Fort York National Historic Site
- Doors Open Toronto, Fort Rouillé listing
Related reading
- Complete timeline of Toronto history
- What the word Toronto means
- A short narrative of Toronto by era
- Historic buildings that survive
- Indigenous history of the area
Cite this page
APA: History of Toronto. (2026, October 23). Toronto’s Earlier Names: Fort Rouillé, York, and Toronto. http://localhost:8210/blog/the-fascinating-history-and-origins-of-torontos-original-name
MLA: “Toronto’s Earlier Names: Fort Rouillé, York, and Toronto.” History of Toronto, 23 Oct. 2026, http://localhost:8210/blog/the-fascinating-history-and-origins-of-torontos-original-name. Accessed .
Chicago: History of Toronto. “Toronto’s Earlier Names: Fort Rouillé, York, and Toronto.” Last modified October 23, 2026. http://localhost:8210/blog/the-fascinating-history-and-origins-of-torontos-original-name.
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