Chennai

Chennai is also known as Chennapattanam. The town grew around Fort St. George, which was built by English in 1639.^[13]

The name Madras originated even before the British presence was established in India.^[14]

Multiple explanations attempt to account for the city's colonial name, Madras:

allegedly derived from Madraspattinam, a fishing-village north of Fort St. George.^[15] However, it is uncertain whether the name 'Madraspattinam' was in use before the arrival of European influence.^[16]
the military mapmakers believed Madras was originally Mundir-raj, or abbreviatedly, Mundiraj.^[17]
other arguments suggest that the Portuguese, who arrived in the area in the 16th century, named the village Madre de Deus, meaning Mother of God
another possibility sees the village's name coming from the prominent Madeiros family of Portuguese origin, which consecrated theMadre de Deus Church in the Santhome locality of Chennai in 1575
another theory concludes that the name Madras was given to Chennapattanam after it was taken from a similarly named Christian priest^[18]
other parties express the opinion that Madras might have taken its name from a fisherman by the name of Madrasan
from religious Muslim schools, referred to as Madrasahs
from the word Madhu-ras, which means "honey" in Sanskrit.^[19]

In 1996 the state government officially changed the name to Chennai. At that time many Indian cities underwent a change of name.^[19]^[20] However, the name Madras continues in occasional use for the city,^[21] as well as for places named after the city, such as the University of Madras and The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.