Carbonear: Located only 4.8 km (3 mi) southeast of Victoria on the Conception Bay "side" of the Avalon Peninsula, there have been several variant spellings of this community, including Carbonera, Carbonar, Carbonere, Carboniere, and Carbineer. The present form was first recorded in 1705.

Handcock (1989) suggested that the town's name is Spanish in origin. In Spanish carbonera refers to wood prepared for burning (i.e., charcoal); however, it could be French as Carbonier and Charbonnier are family names, both associated with the preparation or sale of charcoal.

The connection to "charcoal" is strong, for as back in the early 1600s it is known that several sites in the Conception Bay were used to prepare charcoal for use by iron smiths.

In the 1675 census Carbonear is reported to have 11 adults, 16 children, 8 boats and 8 servants. By the 1800s Carbonear was an important port in the sealing industry.

In 2016 the population of Carbonear was 4,858 (an increase of 2.5% from the 2011 census which showed 4,739), making it one of the larger municipalities on the island.

Used with permission from "Uncovering the Origin of 1001 Unique Place Names in Newfoundland and Labrador" 2021 Jennifer Leigh Hill

Address of this page: http://nl.ruralroutes.com/Carbonear