Clydesdale was a local government district in the Strathclyde region of Scotland from 1975 to 1996. The district was initially called Lanark when created in 1975, but changed its name to Clydesdale in 1980. Clydesdale was an old name for the county of Lanarkshire, one of the historic counties of Scotland. Both the names Clydesdale and Strathclyde reference the area's position in the valley of the River Clyde.