<P> 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 . </P>
<P> 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 . </P>
where did the orange river get its name
where did the orange river get its name
in honor of William V of Orange
in honor of William V of Orange