Editing Gothenburg (section)

== Name ==
{{further|Name of the Goths}}
The city was named Göteborg in the city's charter in 1621<ref>''För det första, skal denne Stad, heta och kallas Götheborgh.''</ref> and simultaneously given the German and English name Gothenburg.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vartgoteborg.se/prod/sk/vargotnu.nsf/1/ovrigt,city_of_goteborg_blir_ater_city_of_gothenburg |title=City of Göteborg blir åter City of Gothenburg |language=sv |trans-title=City of Gothenburg will again be City of Gothenburg |date=9 December 2009 |website=Vårt Göteborg |access-date=9 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617115523/http://www.vartgoteborg.se/prod/sk/vargotnu.nsf/1/ovrigt,city_of_goteborg_blir_ater_city_of_gothenburg |archive-date=17 June 2018 }}</ref> The Swedish name was given after the ''Göta älv'', called [[Göta River]] in English,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Gothenburg-Sweden |title=Gothenburg &#124; Sweden |access-date=31 December 2017 |archive-date=31 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171031024709/https://www.britannica.com/place/Gothenburg-Sweden |url-status=live}}</ref> and other cities ending in ''-borg''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hellquist |first=Elof |year=1922 |title=219 (Svensk etymologisk ordbok) |url=https://runeberg.org/svetym/0307.html |access-date=21 November 2021 |website=runeberg.org |language=sv |archive-date=20 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020095023/http://runeberg.org/svetym/0307.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Pamp, B. Ortnamnen i Sverige. Svenska ortnamnsarkiv.</ref><ref>AWE/Gebers serie om ortnamnen i våra landskap.</ref> The city's name is often abbreviated to '''Gbg'''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Göteborg |url=https://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/G%C3%B6teborg |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222104956/https://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/G%C3%B6teborg |archive-date=22 December 2017 |access-date=19 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=19 December 2017 |title=Förkortningar för svenska och utländska ortnamn |url=http://itu.se/ortnamn.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171219110943/http://itu.se/ortnamn.shtml |archive-date=19 December 2017}}</ref>

Both the Swedish and German/English names were in use before 1621 and had already been used for the previous city founded in 1604 that burned down in 1611.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Göteborg |title=Göteborg |access-date=21 November 2021 |archive-date=27 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227235647/https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/G%C3%B6teborg |url-status=live}}</ref> Gothenburg is one of few Swedish cities to still have an official and widely used [[exonym]].

The city council of 1641 consisted of four Swedish, three Dutch, three German, and two Scottish members. In [[Dutch language|Dutch]], [[Scots language|Scots]], English, and German, all languages with a long history in this trade and maritime-oriented city, the name Gothenburg is or was (in the case of German) used for the city. 

Variations of the official German/English name Gothenburg in the city's 1621 charter existed or exist in many languages. The French form of the city name is ''Gothembourg'', but in French texts, the Swedish name ''Göteborg'' is more frequent.

In 2003, the city decided to promote the name ''Göteborg'' in international contexts, a decision which was reversed six years later.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nikel |first=David |title=7 Fascinating Facts About Gothenburg, Sweden's Second City |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidnikel/2022/09/19/7-fascinating-facts-about-gothenburg-swedens-second-city/ |access-date=18 November 2024 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> However, the traditional forms ("Gothenburg" in English, or ''Gotemburgo'' in Spanish and Portuguese) are sometimes replaced with the use of the Swedish ''Göteborg'', for example by [[The Göteborg Opera]] and the Göteborg Ballet. However, ''Göteborgs universitet'', previously designated as the Göteborg University in English, changed its name to the [[University of Gothenburg]] in 2008.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.gu.se/english/about_the_university/current/the-university-s-new-english-name.cid778745 |publisher=University of Gothenburg |title=University of Gothenburg&nbsp;– the University's new English name |date=4 February 2008 |access-date=18 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728080218/http://www.gu.se/english/about_the_university/current/the-university-s-new-english-name.cid778745 |archive-date=28 July 2011}}</ref> The Gothenburg municipality has also reverted to the use of the English name in international contexts.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://international.goteborg.se/ |title=City of Gothenburg |publisher=City of Gothenburg |access-date=15 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160215183929/http://international.goteborg.se/ |archive-date=15 February 2016 }}</ref>

In 2009, ''Göteborg & Co'', the municipal [[destination management]] organisation of [[Gothenburg Municipality|Gothenburg]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Göteborg & Co — Göteborg & Co |url=https://goteborgco.se/en/about-goteborgco/ |access-date=18 November 2024 |website=goteborgco.se |language=en-GB}}</ref> launched a new promotional logo for Gothenburg spelled "Go:teborg". Since the name "Göteborg" contains [[Ö#Ö in other languages|the Swedish letter "ö"]], they planned to make the name more "international" and "up to date" by turning the "ö" sideways. {{As of|2015}}, the name was spelled "Go:teborg" on logos on various signs around the city.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Valkonen |first1=Jorma |title=Göteborg blir go:teborg |trans-title=Göteborg becomes go:teborg |url=https://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article11956437.ab |work=[[Aftonbladet]]|date=12 August 2009 |access-date=25 August 2015 |archive-date=25 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925131650/http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article11956437.ab |url-status=live}}</ref> In March 2021, the city removed the "Go:teborg" branding from its English communications and switched back to using the logo with "Gothenburg".<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 February 2021 |title=Official Visitor's Guide to Gothenburg |url=https://www.goteborg.com/en/ |access-date=18 November 2024 |archive-date=27 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227205332/https://www.goteborg.com/en/ |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=22 March 2021 |title=Official Visitor's Guide to Gothenburg |url=https://www.goteborg.com/en |access-date=18 November 2024 |archive-date=22 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210322101534/https://www.goteborg.com/en |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>