by several names over the years, including Aburrá de los Yamesíes, "Valley of Saint Bartholomew", "Saint Lawrence of Aburrá", "Saint Lawrence of Aná", Villa de la Candelaria de Medellín, and finally "Medellín".

The name "Medellín" comes from Medellín, Spain, a small village in the Province of Badajoz in Extremadura. The village was the birthplace of Hernán Cortés.