Mönchengladbach is a town in the German region of Rhineland. Its name can be translated to „canalised monks' stream” and if we wanted to attempt to render it in English using cognate components, it would most likely be something of the sort of Monks Ladbrook.

As one of the great powers in German football in the 1970s, Borussia Mönchengladbach were used to racking up relentless wins. By the time of the 1977/78 season, they were also a title-winning machine, having lifted the previous three Bundesliga crowns.

They chose the word Borussia (Latin: "Prussia") as their association's new title, although this was not yet the club's official founding. Borussia was chosen because Mönchengladbach was located in the western provinces awarded to the Kingdom of Prussia as part of the 1815 Congress of Vienna.