The earliest precolonial inhabitants called the river Gariep '. An early Dutch name for the river was Groote Rivier meaning "Great River ''. The river was named the Orange River by Colonel Robert Gordon, commander of the Dutch East India Company garrison at Cape Town, on a trip to the interior in 1779. Gordon named the river in honor of William V of Orange. A popular but incorrect belief is that the river was named after the supposedly orange color of its water, as opposed to the color its tributary, the Vaal River (vaal being Afrikaans for pale or grey). Since the end of apartheid, the name "Gariep '' has had greater favour in official correspondence in South Africa, although the name "Orange '' has greater international recognition. In Lesotho, where the river rises, it is known as the Senqu River.
where did the orange river get its name
in honor of William V of Orange