Cadillac is named after the French explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, who founded Detroit.
Cadillac was established in Detroit in 1902 and took its name from Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac. The explorer founded Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit on July 24, 1701, on the Detroit River. The settlement’s name came from the French word détroit, meaning “strait.”
The automobile company emerged from the remnants of the Henry Ford Company after Henry Ford left following a dispute with investors. Engineer Henry M. Leland persuaded William Murphy and Lemuel Bowen to continue manufacturing cars, leading to the Cadillac Automobile Company’s formation. General Motors acquired Cadillac in 1909.
A common confusion is associating Cadillac with New Orleans because Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac later became governor of French Louisiana. His best-known founding achievement, however, was Detroit. The brand’s crest also draws on the explorer’s claimed coat of arms, linking the automobile marque directly to its namesake.