There are several different legends that are attributed to the founding of the great Spanish City; Some sources point to the Carthaginian general Hamilcar Barca naming the city after himself and calling it Barcino sometime around the 3rd century. Another equally as compelling (and certainly more interesting) legend has to do with the Roman mythological figure, Hercules. I view the latter of these two origin stories as the “canon” and little can be done to make me believe otherwise. The story goes that in mythological times the son of Zeus, Hercules, traveled by sea with some of his most trusted people on nine ships to establish and build a city at the hill of Montjuïc. Upon setting out, Hercules and his people were met by weather so bad, that it destroyed his small fleet of ships and forced him and his company to walk the rest of the way. None of the ships were believed to have survived and most of the men that were on them were believed to have perished. So, when the noble Hercules and his entourage neared their destination, they were pleasantly surprised to find some of their companions fast at work constructing the lovely city that they had all set out to build. In order to glorify the memory of those lost to create such a beautiful city, they named the city Barca-nona, the ninth ship. Over time this name has transformed into the city that we know today as Barcelona, a cultural and economic hub of the Iberian Peninsula.
tourspain.org/barcelona/history