Where does the name of Tirana come from?

There are several hypotheses about the origin of the name Tirana. One hypothesis is that the name Tirana comes from the word Theranda, mentioned in ancient Greek and Latin sources, which the locals called "The Wounds", since the field was formed as a result of solid materials that brought water from the surrounding mountains.

In a subversion of this hypothesis, Tirana or Tirônë, as it is called in the dialect of the country, originates from the way the inhabitants of this country were called. Since the population settled in this territory came mainly from the mountains of the surrounding area, they were called "Te rônë" (fallen) by the locals. Even today, in everyday language, the expression "they fell (for example) in Durrës" (or somewhere else) is used for families coming from mountainous areas.

The second hypothesis is that the name Tirana comes from Tirkan. Tirkan was a fortress on the slope of Dajti mountain. There are still the ruins of this ancient castle that dates back to the beginning of the first century before the birth of Christ and it is thought that this was the castle that the Byzantine historian Prokop (6th century) called the castle of Tirkan.

The third hypothesis is that the name Tirana comes from the Old Greek Tyros (Τurοc) which means dairy. In the plains of Tirana, dairies were traded by the shepherds of the surrounding areas. It is certainly known that the name of Tirana was mentioned for the first time in 1418 in a Venetian document.