How did yuma arizona get its name?

Question

pretty straightforward question i think. How did the city get named, is it an indian or mexican word? or is there some sort of story behind this?

Answer 1

Names are rarely as straight forward as they seem and most everyone has their pet theories especially regarding Yuma, a rather cool name.  Some assume a Native origin others like to credit the Spanish however in this modern world with Latino bashing in vogue perhaps the Native interpretation is best.  Will pass along this snippet for two of the most common theories.

http://jeff.scott.tripod.com/yumaco.html

"""While Arizona was still a part of the Territory of New Mexico, that portion which is now Yuma County was part of the vast extent of Dona Ana county. A name proposed for this section when Sylvester Mowry was making a map of Arizona in 1860 was Castle Dome County, doubtless for the famous Castle Dome mining district. However, when Yuma County was created by act of the first Arizona territorial legislature on November 8, 1864, it was decided to name the new county for its chief Indian inhabitants, the Yuma tribe.

There has been some confusion regarding the origin of the name Yuma. It seems probable that it doesnot, as has been suggested, reflect the title of a hereditary chief Yahmayo ("son of the captain"), but that the word Yuma derives from the habit this tribe had of making huge fires to induce rain, creating the a tremendous amount of smoke in the process, and that their name in consequence comes from the Old Spanish word umo, meaning smoke. Yuma is only one of the four original counties in Arizona which still retains its original boundaries. The county encompasses 6,390,400 acres. The first county seat was at La Paz but since 1870 it has been at Yuma, the principal city in the county. Mining from the first was among teh chief industries of Yuma county. Today agriculture is also of prime importance."

Barnes, Will C.; Granger, Byrd (ed.). Arizona Place Names. University of Arizona Press. 1960

p. 367

  

"In 1860, Mowry, elected first and second delegate to congress, but not admitted, got out a mpa of Arizona, dividing it into four counties: Castle Dome, Ewell, Mesilla, and Dona Ana. "The present Yuma county was called Castle Dome. Pima county was designated as Ewell. Mesilla county extended eastward clear to the Rio Grande in New Mexico. Dona Ana extended eastward to west boundary of Texas. The bill, known as the Gwin measure, creating this Arizona, never passed Congress." Farish.

When first territorial legislature met and organized for business, 1864. Yuma was one of the four counties named in the bill. So called for the Yuma Indians."

Barnes, Will C. Arizona Place Names. University of Arizona Press. 1997 ""

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Answer 2

Yuma was named for the Yuman Indians