Spokane
/spoʊˈkæn/noun
A city in eastern Washington State and the name of an Indigenous people of the Inland Northwest.
Did you know?The city inherited its name from the Spokane people, whose language belongs to the Interior Salishan family; the word’s original meaning remains debated rather than securely translated.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-European contact
Spokane Salish
Spoqín / Sp̓q̓ʷaʔ
“An Indigenous name associated with the Spokane people; its precise original meaning is uncertain.”
18th–19th Century
English records
Spokan / Spokane
“Anglicized spellings used by explorers, traders, missionaries, and officials for the Indigenous nation and region.”
1850s
English
Spokane
“The name became established in American geographic and administrative usage in the Inland Northwest.”
1872
English
Spokane
“The settlement incorporated under the name Spokane.”
Modern English
English
Spokane
“The modern city name and the standard English name for the Spokane people.”
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