New York was originally called New Amsterdam. This name was given by the Dutch West India Company, which established the colony of New Netherland in 1624 and developed a settlement on the southern tip of Manhattan Island, naming it New Amsterdam.
The name changed to New York in 1664 after the English captured the settlement. Dutch Governor Peter Stuyvesant surrendered New Amsterdam to an English naval squadron led by Colonel Richard Nicolls. Stuyvesant had hoped to resist the English, but his unpopularity among the Dutch settlers, who were unwilling to support him, led to the surrender.
The English renamed the city New York in honor of the Duke of York, who organized the mission that led to the capture.