WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - What's in a Name: Philadelphia, the City of Love

Episode Date: October 3, 2025

This week on What's in a Name, host Megan Pidcock explored the origins of the name of one of the most important cities in American history.

This is What's in a Name on Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM. My name is Megan Pitchcock, and today we'll be talking about the city of love, though maybe not the one that you're thinking of. Philadelphia is one of the most historic cities in America. Founded in 1882 by the English Quaker William Penn, its name roughly translates to brotherly love, coming from the Greek words, Phyllos, meaning beloved, and Adelphos, meaning brother or brotherly. Penn, who gave his own name to Pennsylvania, was not the first to name a city Philadelphia, as it was a word. It was a somewhat common name in the ancient world. The city quickly became prosperous, housing the nation's first library and hospital, both helped

set up by Benjamin Franklin. During the Revolutionary War, the Founding Fathers held the first Continental Congress in Philadelphia, and after the war, they ratified the U.S. Constitution at the Philadelphia Convention. Though it doesn't have the same centrality as it once did, Philadelphia's name continues to connect the city to the Western tradition that influenced the founding fathers and, in turn, the shape of America today.