Berlin to Kitchener name change

Through the latter half of the 19th century and into the first decade of the 20th, the City of Berlin, Ontario, Canada, was a bustling industrial centre celebrating its German heritage. However, when World War I started, that heritage became the focus of considerable enmity from non-German residents within the city and throughout Waterloo County. The First World War created conflict among the citizens of Waterloo County. Not only were residents divided by ethnicity – German and British – but longstanding civic rivalries between Berlin (now Kitchener) and Galt (now Cambridge) increased the tension. The city of Kitchener, Ontario voted in May 1916 to change the name of the city from its original name, Berlin. The vote passed by only a slim margin.

By late June, the final shortlist of new names were: Adanac, Brock, Benton, Corona, Keowana and Kitchener. Kitchener was a late addition to the shortlist of possible names, as it was added shortly after the death of Horatio Herbert Kitchener, a difficult and controversial man, who had died June 5, 1916.

While more than 15,000 people lived in the city at the time, 346 people voted for the name "Kitchener" on June 28, 1916, from approximately 5,000 eligible voters. This time period was the darkest in the city's history.

The city was officially renamed "Kitchener" on September 1, 1916.

German-speaking immigrants from Europe began arriving in Waterloo County during the 1820s, bringing with them their language, religion and cultural traditions. Berlin and Waterloo County soon became recognized throughout Canada for their Germanic heritage. These German immigrants became Berlin's industrial and political leaders, and created a German-Canadian society unlike any other found in Canada at the time. They established German public schools and German language churches. In a speech given by the Governor General of Canada, the Duke of Connaught, while visiting Berlin in May 1914, said: "It is of great interest to me that many of the citizens of Berlin are of German descent. I well know the admirable qualities – the thoroughness, the tenacity, and the loyalty of the great Teutonic Race, to which I am so closely related. I am sure that these inherited qualities will go far in the making of good Canadians and loyal citizens of the British Empire".

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