Huron

Huron is a name used for several related geographic features and cultural groups in North America. The most widely known referents are Lake Huron, the Huron River, and the Huron (Wyandot) people. The name reflects historical associations with the Wyandot, an Indigenous people encountered by French explorers in the Great Lakes region.

The Huron, or Wyandot, are an Iroquoian-speaking Indigenous people who historically occupied lands around the Great Lakes, especially in areas of present-day Ontario and Michigan. Their communities were centered along lakeshores such as Lake Ontario and Georgian Bay, and they formed confederacies within the broader Iroquoian world. French contact in the 17th century brought disease, warfare, and displacement, contributing to a significant population decline and shifts in settlement. In the modern era, descendants are organized into several nations and communities in Canada and the United States, including groups identified as Huron-Wendat in Quebec and various Wyandot communities elsewhere.

Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes, located on the border between Canada and the United States. It lies to the east of Michigan and to the west of Ontario, and it connects with Lake Michigan through the Straits of Mackinac; it drains toward the Atlantic through the Saint Lawrence River system. The lake's shoreline includes portions of Ontario and the U.S. state of Michigan and contains several bays and islands.

The Huron River is a river in southeastern Michigan that drains toward Lake Erie, passing through counties and communities including the Detroit metropolitan area in its watershed.

Numerous communities and counties bear the name Huron, including Huron, Ontario; Huron County, Ontario; Huron County, Michigan; and Huron, Ohio, among others, reflecting the historical and cultural reach of the term.