Short answer: The word “Coachella” doesn’t actually mean anything. The name exists because of a typo.

Originally, the area was supposed to be called Conchilla, a Spanish word meaning “little shells.” When the name was printed in promotional materials, it was misread and published as Coachella. Instead of correcting it, the mistake stuck. And that’s how one of the most famous place names in the world was born.

What Does the Word Coachella Mean?

Despite how important and far-reaching the word has become, “Coachella” has no direct meaning. It is not the name of an ancient god, a poetic translation, or a carefully chosen term. It is the result of a printing error.

The intended name, Conchilla, comes from Spanish and roughly translates to “little shells” or “land of small shells.” The name referenced the white snail shells found throughout the area, left behind by an ancient lake that existed thousands of years earlier.

The Original Name: Conchilla

Before it was ever called Coachella, the settlement was associated with a Southern Pacific Railroad siding known as Woodspur. The area later became home to Jason L. Rector, who established a mesquite wood terminal and helped formalize the town.

When it came time to name the settlement, Rector declined suggestions to name it after himself and instead proposed Conchilla, inspired by the local geography and shell remnants.

How Conchilla Became Coachella

When the town’s name was sent to printers in a prospectus announcing the new settlement, “Conchilla” was misread. The “n” was mistaken for an “a,” and the “i” for an “e,” resulting in “Coachella.”

Rather than correcting the error, Rector chose to keep the name as printed, likely deciding that fixing it wasn’t worth the trouble. That typo became permanent.

So yes, the meaning of Coachella is, quite literally, no meaning at all.

Coachella the City vs. Coachella the Festival

The city of Coachella officially incorporated in 1946. The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival came much later, debuting in 1999, and notably takes place in Indio, not the city of Coachella.

The festival borrowed the name from the broader Coachella Valley, not from any deeper meaning behind the word itself.

Why the Name Still Feels Like It Should Mean Something

“Coachella” sounds intentional. It feels like a word that should have history, symbolism, or at least a poetic translation. That’s why people keep searching for its meaning.

But sometimes the explanation is less romantic and more practical. In this case, the world-famous name stuck because correcting a typo was easier to ignore than to fix.

Bottom Line

Coachella doesn’t mean anything. It’s a misspelling of “Conchilla,” a Spanish word referencing small shells in the area. The typo survived, the town grew, and decades later the name became globally famous.

If that feels slightly anticlimactic, welcome to local history.