Tijuana
/tiˈxwana/noun
A city in northwestern Mexico, on the U.S. border in Baja California.
Did you know?The origin of Tijuana is still debated by historians and linguists, but it is generally traced to an Indigenous place-name from the Kumeyaay/Cocopa region rather than a Spanish invention.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian
Indigenous
(uncertain local place-name)
“A native settlement or geographic name in the region now called Tijuana”
16th Century
Spanish
Tia Juana
“A Spanish rendering of the local name, later interpreted by folk etymology as 'Aunt Juana'”
19th Century
Spanish
Tijuana
“Standardized spelling of the place-name in regional and official usage”
Modern English
English
Tijuana
“The Mexican border city”
Explore more surprising origins