Chéticamp (; ) is an unincorporated place on the Cabot Trail on the west coast of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a local service centre. A majority of the population are Acadians. Together with its smaller neighbour, Saint-Joseph-du-Moine, Chéticamp makes up the largest Francophone enclave on Cape Breton Island. The 2006 population was 3,039 people. Etymology The name "Chéticamp" derives from the name given by the Mi'kmaq First Nations, who still live on Cape Breton Island (but not in Chéticamp). The name is Awjátúj (Francis-Smith orthography) in the Micmac language, meaning "rarely full", presumably making reference to the mouth of Chéticamp harbour that once had a large dune that grew during low tide. The French spelling of the town's name went through several variations including Ochatisia (1660), Ochatis (1689), Chétican, Chéticamps (1725) and Chétifcamp (1803). The current spelling appeared for the first time on 3 May 1815, in the writings of the missionary Antoine Manseau. In French, the name has been pronounced successively Le Chady, Le Grand Chady, Le Chady Grand, Île de Chedegan and finally, the current version, Chatican (). Chéticamp is usually pronounced phonetically in French outside of the area. The name does not always take the acute accent on the e in English (i.e., "Cheticamp"). A village in western Nova Scotia, Saint Alphonse de Clare, was originally called Chéticamp de Clare. Its name was changed to avoid confusion for postal delivery. History Chéticamp was a fishing station used during the summer months by Charles Robin, a merchant from the island of Jersey, and is considered one of the Acadian capitals of the world. In the years following the Great Expulsion, many Acadians came to this area. The first permanent settlers following that era were the families of Pierre Bois and Joseph Richard, who arrived in 1782, although both brothers John and Paul Chiasson along with many other French settlers like the AuCoin family were believed to have predated Bois, Richard and Robin by over 100 years. Chiasson is looked at today as the oldest family name on record in the town. Many of the original family names still reside in and around the small town. They, like all the original founding family names of Chéticamp, can be found chiseled in stone in the town still to this day. Settlement was formally established in 1785 by a grant of land to the 14 original