Here's Real Origin and History of the Mayflower

Between 10 and 12 percent of Americans claim to trace their lineage back to the colonists that sailed from England on the Mayflower in 1620. Conventional wisdom has it that they named their landing place “Plymouth,” after the English town from which they sailed. The truth, however, is that the Mayflower had no more than a passing connection with Plymouth. A good proportion of its passengers were from the East Midlands, and the crew more likely came from South London.
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It was from Rotherhithe in South London that the voyage to America really began. And perhaps surprisingly it is where today you’ll find more Mayflower memorials than anywhere else in Britain. So where does Plymouth come into the story?
The place where the emigrants eventually set up a colony had already been named New Plymouth (also known as Plimouth or Plimoth) by English soldier and explorer Captain John Smith of Jamestown fame. The name was one among many based on English counties, towns, and cities used to replace original native names. It first appeared on maps in 1616, four years before the Pilgrims arrived on the Mayflower. Since the place from which they had finally sailed in England was coincidentally also called Plymouth, they elected to retain the name for their settlement.
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