Montreal is potentially named after Mount Royal, a mountain located in the city.
Montreal . Originally called Ville-Marie , or `` City of Mary , '' it is believed to be named after Mount Royal , though there is some debate about this . Mount Royal ( mont Royal , [ mɔ̃ ʁwajal ] ) is a large volcanic-related hill or small mountain in the city of Montreal , immediately west of downtown Montreal , Quebec ( in Canada ) , the city to which it gave its name . Mount Royal ( officially , Town of Mount Royal , abbreviated TMR ) is an affluent on-island suburban town located on the northwest side of the eponymous Mount Royal , north of Downtown Montreal , on the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec , Canada . There are some hypotheses concerning the origin of the name of Montreal . The best-known is that it is a variant of `` Mount Royal '' .