Theories vary on how the place got its modern name of Windhoek. Most believe it is derived from the Afrikaans word ''wind-hoek'' (wind corner). Another theory suggests that Captain Jonker Afrikaner named Windhoek after the Winterhoek Mountains at Tulbagh in South Africa, where his ancestors had lived. The first known mention of the name ''Windhoek'' was in a letter from Jonker Afrikaner to Joseph Tindall, dated 12 August 1844.