The name Istanbul

[Annihilus]

Is it true that before the Turks the Byzantines used the word istanbul for constantinople? Istanbul means into the city or something like that, maybe a Greek can help out?

[Faklon]

"εἰς τὴν Πόλιν" - "to the city" was an alternative name for Constantinople already.

[Vojnik]

The real name is Carigrad (Kings city)

[Marmara]

The original local inhabitants used to refer the city as such, "Constantinople" was a name used by outsiders.

[Jacques de Imbelloni]

Byzantium (/bɪˈzæntiəm, -ʃəm/ or Byzantion; (Ancient Greek: Βυζάντιον, romanized: Byzántion, Latin: Byzantium) was an ancient Greek city in classical antiquity that became known as Constantinople in late antiquity and is now Istanbul. The Greek name Byzantion and its Latinization Byzantium continued to be used as a name of Constantinople during the Byzantine Empire.^[1][2] Byzantium was colonized by the Greeks from Megara in 657 BC, and remained primarily Greek-speaking until its conquest by the Ottoman Empire in AD 1453

Name

The etymology of Byzantium is unknown. It has been suggested that the name is of Thraco-Illyrian origin.^[4] It may be derived from the Thracian or Illyrian personal name Byzas.^[5] Ancient Greek legend refers to King Byzas, the leader of the Megarian colonists and founder of the city.^[6]
The name Lygos for the city, which likely corresponds to an earlier Thracian settlement,^[4] is mentioned by Pliny the Elder in his Natural History.^[7]
Byzántios, plural. Byzántioi (Ancient Greek: Βυζάντιος, Βυζάντιοι, Latin: Byzantius) referred to Byzantion's inhabitants and Byzántios (Ancient Greek: Βυζάντιος, Latin: Byzantius) was an adjective, also used as an ethnonym for the people of the city and as a family name.^[8] In the Middle Ages, Byzántion was also a synecdoche for the eastern Roman Empire. (An ellipsis of Medieval Greek: Βυζάντιον κράτος, romanized: Byzántion krátos).^[8] Byzantinós (Medieval Greek: Βυζαντινός, Latin: Byzantinus) denoted an inhabitant of the empire.^[8] The Anglicization of Latin Byzantinus yielded "Byzantine", with 15th and 16th century forms including Byzantin, Bizantin(e), Bezantin(e), and Bysantin as well as Byzantian and Bizantian.^[9][10]
The name Byzantius and Byzantinus were applied from the 9th century to gold Byzantine coinage, reflected in the French besant (d'or), Italian bisante, and English besant, byzant, or bezant.^[5] The English usage, derived from Old French besan (pl. besanz), and relating to the coin, dates from the 12th century.^[11]
Later, the name Byzantium became common in the West to refer to the Eastern Roman Empire, whose capital was Constantinople. As a term for the east Roman state as whole, Byzantium was introduced by the historian Hieronymus Wolf only in 1555, a century after the empire, whose inhabitants called it the Roman Empire (Medieval Greek: Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, romanized: Basileia tōn Rhōmaiōn, lit. 'empire of the Romans'), had ceased to exist.^[12]
Other places were historically known as Byzántion (Βυζάντιον) - a city in Libya mentioned by Stephanus of Byzantium and another on the western coast of India referred to by the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea; in both cases the names were probably adaptations of names in local languages.^[5] Faustus of Byzantium was from a city of that name in Cilicia.

[Konstantinos]

Εἰς τὴν Πόλιν. Κωνσταντινούπολη/Constantinople, because of its size and importance was and is often referred to by Greeks simply as Πόλη/Polis(=City). Πηγαίνω εἰς τὴν Πόλιν/Going to the City, or anything belonging εἰς τὴν Πόλιν/to the City. It also exists as a surname of Greeks descending from Constantinople, Σταμπουλίδης/Σταμπουλής.

[Bosniensis]

The original local inhabitants used to refer the city as such, "Constantinople" was a name used by outsiders.

Many changes happened from 3rd to 14th century... so it's possible the name perished into nickname use.

We called it Stambol or Emperors City (which was the most common name for 1500+ years)

Where are you going? .. To Emperors City...

[Bosniensis]

"εἰς τὴν Πόλιν" - "to the city" was an alternative name for Constantinople already.

so in short and fast: Istinpoli or Istanbul... we will always call it Emperors city it's more recognizable.

[Kaspias]

Many changes happened from 3rd to 14th century... so it's possible the name perished into nickname use.

We called it Stambol or Emperors City (which was the most common name for 1500+ years)

Where are you going? .. To Emperors City...

Turks would laugh if you said this to them.

Which one do you prefer; Sarajevo or Istanbul?

[Bosniensis]

Turks would laugh if you said this to them.

Which one do you prefer; Sarajevo or Istanbul?

I prefer Istanbul but language barrier is enormous.

Istanbul should return to Greek language and that would be acceptable for all Balkan and Anatolian people.