What Does Reims Mean?
Reims is named after the Remi, the Gaulish people who lived in this part of northeastern Gaul. Linguists generally interpret their name as “the first ones” or “those in front”, with a possible sense of “leaders” or “chieftains”.
What did the name Remi mean?
In La langue gauloise, linguist Pierre-Yves Lambert analyses Remi as “the first ones”. He connects it with an ancient root expressing the idea of being in front and compares it with Latin primus, meaning “first”.
The academic encyclopedia Celtic Culture gives the related meanings “the first ones” and “chieftains”. This is why some popular explanations translate the name as “princes”. That word is possible as a broad interpretation, but it is too precise to present as the only literal translation.
The linguistic meaning does not prove that the Remi deliberately chose their name to proclaim their power or prestige. The available sources explain the word’s origin, not the intentions of the people who used it.
From Durocortorum to Reims
In antiquity, the city was known as Durocortorum. Over time, the name of the people replaced the older place name: the city of the Remi eventually became Reims. Oxford’s dictionary of world place names, the Reims Tourist Office and historical encyclopedias all agree on this origin.
Durocortorum and Remi are two separate names. The meaning of Durocortorum is debated, and it should not be used to claim that Remi meant “fort” or “promontory”. No reliable linguistic source found during our research supports either translation for Remi.
Was Reims built on the Remi’s original fortress?
The archaeology is more complicated than that description suggests. Research published in Gallia traces several stages in the site’s development. Occupation increased during the second century BC, an oppidum existed near the end of the independent Gaulish period, and the town changed again after the Roman conquest and under Augustus.
It is accurate to connect modern Reims with the territory and city of the Remi. It is not accurate to reduce that long development to one original fortified settlement.
Reims, Remi and Rheims
Reims is the current spelling. Rheims is a historical variant once used in French as well as English. The spelling does not change the name’s origin. Read why Reims and Rheims both appear in older texts, or use our guide to pronounce Reims in French.
