Regina was the Canadian provincial capital named in 1882 in honor of Queen Victoria.
The settlement originally carried the informal name “Pile of Bones,” an English rendering of an Indigenous place-name associated with buffalo bones along Wascana Creek. In 1882, Princess Louise, daughter of Queen Victoria and wife of Canada’s governor general, suggested the more regal name Regina, Latin for “queen.”
Regina’s early importance came from its selection as the seat of government for the North-West Territories. The Canadian Pacific Railway’s westward expansion helped the settlement grow, although the choice of site was controversial because Lieutenant-Governor Edgar Dewdney owned nearby land and benefited from the decision.
When Saskatchewan became a province in 1905, Regina became its capital, formally taking on its present provincial role in 1906. The royal connection remains visible in the city’s nickname, “The Queen City,” and in landmarks such as Victoria Park and Victoria Avenue. Regina is often confused with Victoria, British Columbia, which was itself named directly for Queen Victoria.