I never can keep straight the history of major league teams and their movements and renamings, so here is a quick reference to help. If you want to see a chronological view of this, please see my Team Timeline page.
By the way, just a housekeeping note, I am only including teams here that have played in the American League or the National League on or after the 1901 season (the year in which the American League was founded), and only giving the etymology of the current 30 teams.
First, let’s get the easy ones out of the way, here are the teams that have not moved or changed names since either 1901 or their inception, whichever is later:
Arizona Diamondbacks (1998-present)
Colorado Rockies (1993-present)
Detroit Tigers (1901-present)
Kansas City Royals (1969-present)
New York Mets (1962-present)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1901-present)
Philadelphia Phillies (1901-present)
San Diego Padres (1969-present)
Seattle Mariners (1977-present)
St. Louis Cardinals (1901-present)
Toronto Blue Jays (1977-present)
Here are the teams that stayed put and just changed their name for some reason:
Boston Red Sox
Boston Americans (1901-1907) > Boston Red Sox (1908-present)
Chicago Cubs
Chicago Orphans (1901-1902) > Chicago Cubs (1903-present)
Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Stockings (1901-1903) > Chicago White Sox (1904-present)
Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds (1901-1953) > Cincinnati Redlegs (1954-1958) > Cincinnati Reds (1959-present)
Houston Astros
Houston Colt .45s (1962-1964) > Houston Astros (1965-present)
Miami Marlins
Florida Marlins (1993-2011) > Miami Marlins (2012-present)
Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1998-2007) > Tampa Bay Rays (2008-present)
Here are the teams that have changed names with a relocation:
Baltimore Orioles
Milwaukee Brewers (1901) > St. Louis Browns (1902-1953) > Baltimore Orioles (1954-present)
Milwaukee Brewers
Seattle Pilots (1969) > Milwaukee Brewers (1970-present)
Minnesota Twins
Washington Senators (1901-1960) > Minnesota Twins (1961-present)
New York Yankees
Baltimore Orioles (1901-1902) > New York Highlanders (1903-1912) > New York Yankees (1913-present)
Oakland Athletics
Philadelphia Athletics (1901-1954) > Kansas City Athletics (1955-1967) > Oakland Athletics (1968-present)
San Francisco Giants
New York Giants (1901-1957) > San Francisco Giants (1958-present)
Texas Rangers
Washington Senators (1961-1971) > Texas Rangers (1972-present)
Washington Nationals
Montreal Expos (1969-2004) > Washington Nationals (2005-present)
And here are the teams that changed their names as frequently as they change their socks:
Atlanta Braves
Boston Beaneaters (1901-1906) > Boston Doves (1907-1910) > Boston Rustlers (1911) > Boston Braves (1912-1935) > Boston Bees (1936-1940) > Boston Braves (1941-1952) > Milwaukee Braves (1953-1965) > Atlanta Braves (1966-present)
Cleveland Guardians
Cleveland Bluebirds/Blues/Bronchos (1901-1902) > Cleveland Napoleons/Naps (1903-1914) > Cleveland Indians (1915-2021) > Cleveland Guardians (2022-present)
Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Angels (1961-1965) > California Angels (1965-1996) > Anaheim Angels (1997-2004) > Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2005-2015) > Los Angeles Angels (2016-present)
Los Angeles Dodgers
Brooklyn Superbas (1901-1910) > Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers (1911-1912) > Brooklyn Dodgers (1913) > Brooklyn Robins (1914-1931) > Brooklyn Dodgers (1932-1957) > Los Angeles Dodgers (1958-present)
So here are some anomalies and edge cases to consider:
| If You Played For | During | Current Franchise |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Orioles | 1901 to 1902 | New York Yankees |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 1901 | Baltimore Orioles |
| Washington Senators | 1901 to 1960 | Minnesota Twins |
| Washington Senators | 1961 to 1971 | Texas Rangers |
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