Claim: Montreal was originally named Ville-Marie.

Montreal -LRB- -LSB- audio = Montreal-English-pronunciation . ogaˌmʌntriːˈɒl -RSB- -RRB- , officially Montréal -LRB- -LSB- mɔ̃ʁeal -RSB- -RRB- , is the most populous municipality in the Canadian province of Quebec and the 2nd-most populous in Canada , after Toronto . Originally called Ville-Marie , or `` City of Mary , '' it is believed to be named after Mount Royal , though there is some debate about this . The city has a distinct four-season continental climate , with warm-to-hot summers and cold , snowy winters .   In 2016 , Montreal had a population of 1,704,694 . Montreal 's metropolitan area had a population of 4,098,927 and a population of 1,958,257 in the urban agglomeration , with all of the municipalities on the Island of Montreal included . Legally a French-speaking city , 60.5 % of Montrealers speak French at home , 21.2 % speak English and 19.8 % speak neither . Montreal is one of the most bilingual cities in Quebec and Canada , with 56 % of the population able to speak both official languages . Montreal is the second-largest primarily French-speaking city in the world after Paris .   Historically the commercial capital of Canada , it was surpassed in population and economic strength by Toronto in the 1970s . It remains an important centre of commerce , aerospace , finance , pharmaceuticals , technology , design , education , culture , tourism , gaming , film and world affairs . Being the location of the headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organization , Montreal is one of three North American cities home to organizations of the United Nations -LRB- along with New York and Washington -RRB- and also has the 2nd-highest number of consulates in the continent . Montreal was also named a UNESCO City of Design . In 2009 , Montreal was named North America 's leading host city for international association events , according to the 2009 preliminary rankings of the International Congress and Convention Association -LRB- ICCA -RRB- . According to the 2015 Global Liveability Ranking by the Economist Intelligence Unit , Montreal ranked 14th out of 140 cities .   In the 2017 edition of their Best Student Cities ranking , Quacquarelli Symonds -LRB- QS -RRB- ranked Montreal as the world 's best city to study abroad . Also , Montreal has 11 universities with 170,000 students enrolled . The Greater Montreal region has the highest number of university students per capita among all metropolitan areas in North America . It even ranks higher than Boston , the intellectual capital of the U.S.   Montreal has hosted multiple international conferences and events throughout its history , including the 1967 International and Universal Exposition and the 1976 Summer Olympic Games . It is the only Canadian city to have held the Summer Olympics . Currently , the city hosts the Canadian Grand Prix of Formula One , the Montreal International Jazz Festival and the Just for Laughs festival . In 2012 , Montreal was ranked as a Beta + world city .