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why is jacksonville called duval

Jacksonville is called “Duval” because the city sits in Duval County, and locals turned the county name into a short, punchy identity and chant that shows hometown pride, especially around the Jaguars.

What “Duval” Actually Means

  • Duval refers to Duval County, the Florida county where Jacksonville is located and of which it is the county seat.
  • The city and county governments were consolidated in 1968, so “Duval” and Jacksonville overlap so much that the county name became a stand‑in for the city itself.

Where The Name Comes From

  • Duval County is named after William Pope DuVal (often written Duval), who was the territorial governor of Florida in the early 1800s.
  • As Jacksonville grew into a major city within that county, residents kept seeing the name on maps, signs, and government offices, reinforcing “Duval” as part of local identity.

From County Name To City Nickname

  • Over time, people in Jacksonville started using “Duval” as slang for the whole city, similar to how some cities are called by county or area nicknames.
  • Fans and locals often say they are from “Duval” instead of Jacksonville, turning a formal county label into a casual, community-driven nickname.

The Famous “DUUUVAL” Chant

  • Jaguars fans popularized the long “DUUUVAL” chant at games as a loud expression of Jacksonville and Duval County pride.
  • The chant spread beyond the stadium into music, social media, and everyday slang, cementing “Duval” as a cultural brand for the city, not just a geographic term.

A Bit Of Current Context

  • “Why is Jacksonville called Duval” keeps showing up in recent explainers because the chant and nickname are now tied to team culture, local hip‑hop, and online fan hashtags like “Duval ’Til We Die.”
  • There is also some modern debate about celebrating the Duval name, since William Duval was a slave owner, which has led a few local activists to question the chant’s historical roots even as it remains widely used.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.