It can't be just me who's checking Wikipedia...
Until the 18th century, the English Channel had no fixed name either in English or in French. It was never defined as a political border, and the names were more or less descriptive. It was not considered as the property of a nation. Before the development of the modern nations, British scholars very often referred to it as "Gaulish" (
Gallicum in Latin) and French scholars as "British" or "English". The name "English Channel" has been widely used since the early 18th century, possibly originating from the designation
Engelse Kanaal in Dutch sea maps from the 16th century onwards. In modern Dutch, however, it is known as
Het Kanaal (with no reference to the word "English"). Later, it has also been known as the "British Channel" or the "British Sea". It was called
Oceanus Britannicus by the 2nd-century geographer
Ptolemy. The same name is used on an Italian map of about 1450, which gives the alternative name of
canalites Anglie—possibly the first recorded use of the "Channel" designation. The Anglo-Saxon texts often call it
Sūð-sǣ ("South Sea") as opposed to
Norð-sǣ ("North Sea" =
Bristol Channel). The
common word channel was first recorded in Middle English in the 13th century and was borrowed from Old French
chanel, variant form of
chenel "canal".
Otherwise it would be called the French Channel wouldn't it......
