Clarington – What’s in a Name?

Our community is now quite familiar with the name Clarington, but did you ever stop to wonder, why is it called Clarington?

Well, the answer is not a simple one. In fact, the name Clarington has a rather interesting and controversial history behind it dating back to the 1970s. Clarington might have been Newcastle, Orchard Mills, or even Bowcastle…and these are just some of the proposed names! Clarington joins the names Clarke and Darlington. It originated from a naming committee, with input from residents, who voted in favour of Clarington in 1992.

In honour of #heritage week, Clarington Museums & Archives staff decided to take a closer look into how the name Clarington originated. The infographic below presents a brief timeline of some of the key debates and decisions that impacted the name.

If you would like to learn more or find the full articles of the newspaper clippings pictured below, please visit the Clarington Digital Newspapers Collection resource.