How did Selat Tebrau Get Its Name?

Contrary to popular belief, the Malay name for Johor Strait i.e. Selat Tebrau does not originate from the tebrau plant, which is a coastal tall perennial true grass which looks similar to a sugarcane plant. Instead, it originated from the word "Tambrau" which comes from the sub-Austronesian language spoken by the Orang Seletar. To the Orang Seletar a.k.a orang laut or sea gypsies who occupies the coastal region along the Johor Strait, the word “Tambrau” means guardian spirit or ghost that guards or haunts the area.

Orang Seletar worship the numerous spirits that they believe are inhabited everywhere; failing to appease these spirits would cause them harm or impede their daily activities. It has been reported that until now when the Orang Seletar are out at sea and encounter a tideline, or a sinuous line where two currents converge, they will still lift their oars and ask permission from the guardian spirit to cross over. See news article: Seafaring Orang Laut strive to stay afloat

There is a place named "Tambrauw" highlands and "Tambrauw" province in West Papua, Indonesia, which may have shared the same etymology. See: Tambrauw Regency - Wikipedia

Central Dusun or Kadazan Dusun language (a branch of the Austronesian language) also has the same sounding word "Tombiruo" with the same meaning i.e. guardian spirit. See: Tombiruo: Penunggu Rimba - Wikipedia

A book titled 'Singapore Street Names' by Victor R Savage & Brenda Yeoh (2003), stated that the word "Tebrau" originates from "a kind of a large fish". This theory may have been based on an article written by John Crawfurd in the Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, dated 2.10.1856, which he described the strait as "Salat Tambrau (strait of the tambrau fish)". See 1856 article:-

This article is based on Crawfurd's 1856 book titled 'A Descriptive Dictionary of the Indian Island and Adjacent Countries'. See extract from Crawfurd’s book:

Nevertheless, by examining the list of known species, no such fish ever existed except for similar sounding Kurau fish (Mango fish / Indian Threadfin). It is to be noted that Crawfurd's works met much criticism at the time, and has also been scrutinised in the 21st century (See: Ellingson, Terry Jay (2001) in 'The Myth of the Noble Savage'). Although Crawfurd wrote prolifically, his views have been seen as inconsistent. As such, it is safe to conclude that there is no evidential basis to relate the word "Tebrau" or "Tambrau" with any marine species.

It is interesting to note that reference to old colonial maps would show that the use of the word "Tambrau" predates the word "Tebrau". The strait appears in Manuel Godinho de Erédia’s 1604 map as “Salat Tubro” (a variation of Selat Tambrau); and in Jean-Baptiste d’Apres de Mannevillette’s 1775 map as “Det. De Salete Baro”. Further, the East India Company's 1848 map as well as The Chronicle & Directory for China, Corea, Japan, the Philippines, Cochin-China, Annam, Tonquin, Siam, Borneo, Straits Settlements, Malay States & c (1888) describes the strait as "Silat Tambrau". See map & directory:

Analysis of maps produced by the Surveyor General of Straits Settlement from 1855 to 1871 shows the strait being correctly described as "Tambrau".

I believe that the error started with a 1885 map by the Public Works Department (PWD) which describes it as "Silat Tĕbrau" (with short "e" vowel sound replacing the existing letters “a” & “m”). See the 1885 map:-

The error persisted with the 1898 map by PWD which continued to describe it as "Selat Tĕbrau". See the 1898 map:-

As such, the name Tebrau, which is also used to describe the biggest sub-district in Johor Bahru as well as the name for roads, buildings, schools, and housing areas, could be based on an error by the surveyor of PWD that occurred around the 1880s to 1890s causing the strait (and a river) to be renamed "Tebrau" (the plant) instead of maintaining its original name "Tambrau" (the guardian spirit).

Note: This article is based on Yusrin Faidz Yusoff answers What is the Origin of the name 'Selat Tebrau' in the South of Peninsula Malaysia?