Wherein I risk betraying ignorance

Todd poses what appears to be a simple question:

What is New York named after?
(I especially like asking New Yorkers this one)

I’ll give them a hint when I see confusion. I’ll say: focus on the word “New”.

I can ask 20 people this question and sometimes I can get 1 correct answer. When I see the blank stares on their faces I’ll then ask how about “New Orleans”? 90% of the time I have to tell them the answer.

This just shows me people question very little that is in front of them.

Perhaps the sheer obviousness of the answers is making me look too hard for traps, but my understanding is that the answer is York, as in the city in the north of England. Previously, the city had been named after Amsterdam, if my memory serves me correctly. As for New Orleans, I’m assuming it’s named after the French city of Orleans.

Either I’m completely missing something or people really are that much more ignorant than even an arrogant elitist would assume.