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How did Yathrib become known as Medina?

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Petra, Jordan: Khazneh ruins — history of Arabia The Khazneh (“Treasury”), Nabataean ruins at Petra, Jordan.

The city of Yathrib became known as Medina (Arabic Al-Madīnah, meaning "The City") following the arrival of the Prophet Muhammad and his followers in 622 CE.1

Facing persecution in his hometown of Mecca, Muhammad was invited to Yathrib by local tribal groups to serve as a neutral arbiter to resolve their internal conflicts. This migration, known as the Hijrah, marked a pivotal moment in Islamic history. Upon his arrival, the city was reorganized around Islamic principles under Muhammad’s spiritual and political leadership, uniting various tribes and establishing the Muslim community (ummah) as a formal sociopolitical entity. As the city became the administrative capital of the expanding Islamic state, it adopted the name Medina, reflecting its new status as the center of the burgeoning Muslim community.2341