R. H. Cambage in his 1919 book ''Notes on the Native Flora of New South Wales, Part X, the Federal Capital Territory'' noted that Joshua John Moore, the first settler in the region, named the area Canberry in 1823 stating that "there seems no doubt that the original was a native name, but its meaning is unknown."' Survey plans of the district dated 1837 refer to the area as the ''Canberry Plain''. In 1920, some of the older residents of the district claimed that the name was derived from the Australian Cranberry which grew abundantly in the area, noting that the local name for the plant was ''canberry''. Although popularly pronounced  or , the original pronunciation at its official naming in 1913 was .