Origin of “Hong” in “Hong Kong” 香港的「香」字英文起源

Over 200 years ago, merchant mariners from Europe used to call the island of Hong Kong Ching-Fang-Chow, Fanchinchow, Fan-chin-cheou or Fan-chin-cheo; and part of the island Heung Kong, Heong-Kong or He-Ong-Kong, some of which might have referred to the Tai Tam Harbour in addition to the Aberdeen Harbour. When and why did it become “Hong” Kong? 

   As far as written record goes, it was in 1793 for the first time a trader/captain from Boston called the whole island as Heong-Kong. Based on this information, Bombay Marine of the East India Company started charting the waters no later than 1806. In their published navigation guides/charts since 1810, the spelling was changed from Heong to Hong, without any explanation. As such we can only guess about their intention today. There are following possibilities: 

   1. it was purely a mistake but looked more familiar to an English reader;

   2. it was changed on purpose to simply make the word more English-like;

   3. to the chart (map) makers, the word “Heong” and “Hong” made little difference, but they were more familiar with and already got used to the latter.  “Hong” (行）is the trading house with which the European traders must deal when they came to trade at the only trading port, Canton (or Guangzhou, as it is called today). This had been true for several hundred years prior. 

   For whatever reason, the word “Hong” in Hong Kong caught on and has ever been in use until today.

Reference:

Map “This Chart of the Different Passages Leading to Macao Roads, Is Respectfully Dedicated to the Honorable the Court of Directors, for the Affairs of the Limited East India Company, by their most Obedient Servants Daniel Ross, & Philip Maughan, Lieutenants of the Bombay Marine, 1810, Engraved by J. Bateman”, Library of Congress.
In “Observation on the South Coast of China and Island of Hainan” in 1806 A. Dalrymple wrote: “captain Walter Alves, Ship London. 12 February 1765 East end of Lantao —> Cowhee Passage —> 5pm SW Point of Chinfalo —> Northward of the island Heong-Kong ...... on the whole, this last strait is a passage I’d not recommend, if there had not been a Pilot on board for there is a very clear open passage out to the sea, about two miles westward of this.” It is not clear whether captain Alves called the island Heong-Kong or Dalrymple changed the same, but it appears in 1765 Alves might be the first European to have sailed through the northern Victoria Harbour, and already recognised the island name as Heong-Kong. However, as he did not recommend this passage, nor did he point out any significance of the Hong Kong island or its harbours, Alves did not get any credit for naming the island.