What does the name Concorde mean?

Short answer

Concorde comes from the French word concorde, and both it and its English equivalent mean agreement, harmony or union. A British minister explained the final 'e' as 'Excellence, England, Europe and Entente (Cordiale).' The aircraft arose from a 1962 Anglo-French treaty.

Published: November 1, 2026 · Updated: November 1, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

Concorde in flight over London (1987)Per Egevad (CC BY), vía commons

A word that exists in both languages

The name comes from the French word concorde, and both it and its English equivalent mean agreement, harmony or union. A British minister explained the final "e" as standing for "Excellence, England, Europe and Entente (Cordiale)."

The treaty behind the name

Studies had begun in 1954, and in 1962 a treaty between the United Kingdom and France established joint development between Sud Aviation and the British Aircraft Corporation. The agreement was signed on November 29, 1962, and included a clause, originally requested by the British government, imposing heavy penalties in the event of cancellation.

Twenty aircraft and two operators

Twenty Concordes were built. Of these, 14 flew commercially: seven with Air France and seven with British Airways. The only firm orders at that time came from the British BOAC (British Airways), with five, and Air France, with four. Only Air France and British Airways, BOAC's successor, carried out their orders, and both governments retained a share of any profit.