The name
Madrid, conferred in honor of
Pedro Fernández Madrid, was established to commemorate this notable figure, who was born in
Havana,
Cuba, and spent his final years in the municipality formerly known as
Serrezuela. Following his death on February 7, 1875, the local community petitioned the
Departmental Assembly of Cundinamarca to rename the municipality in his honor. This request was approved through Law 14 on November 17, 1875, thereby embedding Fernández Madrid's legacy within the region's toponymy. The name
Serrezuela was reinstated in 1945 but was replaced by
Madrid again in 1946. However, in 1973, the Departmental Assembly restored the original name in accordance with Law 5 of 1920, which requires towns to adopt
indigenous,
ancient, or
historical names. The current name,
Madrid, was officially established by Decree No. 14 on November 16, 1976. Historian Roberto Velandia explains that the adoption of the name Madrid occurred somewhat incidentally, influenced by the political and social resonance associated with the figure it commemorates. The toponym
Madrid traces its earliest recorded usage to the
Andalusian period, where it appeared as
Maǧrīţ. Over time, this evolved into
Magerit in
Old Spanish. The
etymology of the name has been a subject of considerable scholarly debate. The most widely accepted hypothesis, advanced by
Arabist Jaime Oliver Asín, suggests that the name derives from the
Andalusi Romance term
Matrice, meaning
mother stream or
matrix. For an extended period, the dual
toponyms Maǧrīţ and
Magerit coexisted, used respectively by the
Muslim and
Christian communities residing on the hills of Almudena and Vistillas in
Madrid,
Spain. These communities were separated by an ancient stream, now corresponding to Segovia Street. The collaborative presence of these groups played a pivotal role in the origin and perpetuation of these names. This
etymological and
historical context has been further explored and refined through the comprehensive studies of
Joan Coromines and
Federico Corriente Córdoba, whose meticulous analyses have significantly deepened the understanding of the name
Madrid. The municipality of Madrid in
Cundinamarca presents an intriguing
etymological coincidence, linking its name to that of
Madrid, the capital of Spain. The name of the
Spanish Madrid originates from the ancient
Arroyo de San Pedro, a stream that once flowed through Segovia Street, and its etymology traces back to
Andalusian and
Mozarabic linguistic roots. In contrast, the
Andean Madrid derives its name in honor of
Pedro Fernández Madrid. Notably, this
Colombian municipality is situated along the Subachoque River, introducing an additional layer of
geographical and
cultural significance to its
toponymy. This similarity suggests a geographic and cultural parallel between the Spanish stream and the Cundinamarcan river, while also enriching the study of naming conventions through
hydronymic influences in the Spanish context and
oronymic influences in the Colombian case. The latter is particularly significant given that the colonial name of the Colombian municipality was
Serrezuela, a term referring to a small mountain range, specifically the Tibaytatá hill. The
demonym for the inhabitants of the municipality is
madrileño and
madrileña (madrilenian in english). == Location ==