Why does the name of the Manhattan borough called The Bronx include the word The while the other boroughs of New York City lack a definite article? The 17th-century Dutch settler Jonas Bronck bequeathed his name to a local body of water, which came to be known as the Bronck’s River. In 1895, New York City designated an area that included the Broncks River as The Bronx, although it’s a mystery why the name came to be spelled with X as the final letter. There’s a great book to go along with learning more about it: The Names of New York by Joshua Jelly-Schapiro (Bookshop|Amazon). This is part of a complete episode.
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