Just Askin': Who is Nashville named after?

Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean
·2 min read
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Welcome to Nashville, the home of country music stars, honky-tonks and hot chicken.

The "Athens of the South" features a replica Parthenon at Centennial Park.

The city has lots of nicknames, from Music City and Nashvegas to Smashville for Predators fans.

But the country-music-capital-of-the-world and hip city's namesake has military origins.

While most people may be partying on Broadway, or catching a show at one of the city's concert venues, they may never think of how Nashville came to be.

Question: Who is Nashville named after? How did the city get its name?

Answer: Get to know Francis Nash, a general killed during the American Revolutionary War. He was born in Virginia and called North Carolina home.

But there is a twist. Nashville was once known as Fort Nashborough before it was changed to Nashville in 1784 to honor the general.

And though he is the namesake, there are few, if any records, that show the general ever visited Nashville. But he was one of the 10 Patriot Generals who died during the war.

Nash is also is the namesake for Nashville cities in North Carolina and Georgia.

Military ties to Tennessee city names

A replica of Nashborough is located at Riverfront Park, home of the Fort Nashborough Interpretive Center.

Nashville was originally founded by James Robertson, who led a group of pioneers across the frozen Cumberland River to Cedar Bluffs. Fort Nashborough was born as the first families settled in the fort until attacks ended in 1792.

Fort Nashborough: The fort museum is a replica of the original Nashville settlers' fort on the Cumberland River. James Robertson founded the city on Jan. 1, 1780 when he led a group of pioneers across the frozen river to an area called The Cedar Bluffs and built the original fort. Fort Nashborough is located in Riverfront Park downtown. Source: nashville.gov

Nashville isn't the only Tennessee city named for a military leader.

Henry Knox, a general during the American Revolution — he also served as George Washington's secretary of war — is the namesake for Knoxville. The city was formerly known in 1786 as White’s Fort by American settlers before being renamed Knoxville, according to the Tennessee State Museum.

A connection between Mississippi River and Nile River?

Not all cities in Tennessee take their names from military or Cherokee words.

Memphis, for instance, takes its name from the city of Memphis in Egypt. It's not a random homage, as Memphis is located along a great river — the Mississippi River — like Egypt, which sits along the Nile River.

Reach reporter Craig Shoup by email at cshoup@gannett.com and on Twitter @Craig_Shoup. To support his work, sign up for a digital subscription to www.tennessean.com

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How a Revolutionary War general inspired Music City's name