Baghpat city, after which the district takes its name, derives its name either from "vyagprastha" ("land of tigers") or from "vakyaprasth" ("place for delivering speeches"). the city was finally named Baghpat, or Bagpat, during the Mughal era. Starting from a small commercial center known as the Mandi, the city grew in importance after the 1857 mutiny and became the headquarters of Baghpat tehsil.