Etymology Ontario is a term thought to be derived from Indigenous origins, either , a Huron (Wyandot) word meaning "great lake", or possibly , which means "beautiful water" or "sparkling water" in the Iroquoian languages. Ontario has about 250,000 freshwater lakes. The first mention of the name Ontario was in 1641, when "Ontario" was used to describe the land on the north shore of the easternmost part of the Great Lakes. It was adopted as the official name of the new province at Confederation in 1867.
Etymology Ontario is a term thought to be derived from Indigenous origins either  a Huron (Wyandot) word meaning "great lake" or possibly  which means "beautiful water" or "sparkling water" in the Iroquoian languages Ontario has about 250000 freshwater lakes The first mention of the name Ontario was in 1641 when "Ontario" was used to describe the land on the north shore of the easternmost part of the Great Lakes It was adopted as the official name of the new province at Confederation in 1867