 The first French name for the island was "l'ille de Vilmenon", noted by Samuel de Champlain in a 1616 map, and derived from the sieur de Vilmenon, a patron of the founders of Quebec at the court of Louis XIII.However, by 1632 Champlain referred to the "Isle de Mont-real" in another map.The island derived its name from Mount Royal (French "Mont Royal", then pronounced ), and gradually spread its name to the town, which had originally been called Ville-Marie.