The inhabitant of Christchurch is vaguely aware that the name of his city was the pious choice of the Church of England founders of it, and his guess is probably a very near approximation to the truth; but there have been several conflicting explanations of the name's origin, which have occasionally given rise to fierce controversy.

A coincidence that the town of Christchurch in Hampshire, England, also possesses a River Avon, has been the chief stumbling-block. Hampshireborn people naturally have always supported the theory that the new Christchurch was named after their Christchurch, but as long ago as 1856, Archdeacon Harper, a new arrival, confidently wrote: “Through the site of the town, the River Avon, so called from the river at Christchurch, in Hampshire, winds its picturesque course.”