Pittsburgh Weather | Weather of Pittsburgh | Weather: Pittsburgh was named in 1758 by General John Forbes, in honor of British statesman William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham. As Forbes was a Scot, he probably pronounced the name /ˈpɪtsbərə/ PITS-bər-ə (similar to Edinburgh). Pittsburgh was incorporated as a borough on April 22, 1794, with the following Act: “Be it enacted by the Pennsylvania State Senate and Pennsylvania House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania … by the authority of the same, that the said town of Pittsburgh shall be … erected into a borough, which shall be called the borough of Pittsburgh for ever.” From 1891 to 1911, the city’s name was federally recognized as “Pittsburg”, though use of the final h was retained during this period by the city government and other local organizations. After a public campaign, the federal decision to drop the h was reversed.