The city draws its origins from two hamlets: Cran and Gevrier. There are two possible origins for each one of these names:

• Cran which means "notch" (permitted the establishment of a road between Boutae (Annecy) and Aquae (Aix-les-Bains), or between two rivers (river Thiou and river Fier).
• Gevrier, the oldest hamlet, got its name either from the Grabriaccus villa, or from the word "guivre", the name of a mythical snake whose role in tales is to keep treasures (one finds a snake rolled up around a sword on the blazon of the lords of Aléry).

The Romans were the first to settle on the hill. A Roman villa and a theatre were built there.