List of Indigenous names of Caribbean islands

This list is a compilation of the indigenous names that were given by Amerindian people to the caribbean islands before the Europeans started naming them. The islands of the Caribbean were successively settled since at least around 5000 BC, long before European arrival in 1492. The Caribbean islands were dominated by two main cultural groups by the European contact period: the Taino and the Kalinago. Individual villages of other distinct cultural groups were also present on the larger islands. The island of Trinidad in particular was shared by both Kalinago and Arawak groups.

Current evidence suggests there were two major migrations to the Caribbean. The first migration was of pre-Arawakan people like the Ciguayo who most likely migrated from Central America. The second major migration was the Arawaks settling the islands as they traveled north from the Orinoco River in Venezuela.^[1] The Kalinago people, who were more dominant in warfare, began a campaign of conquering and displacement of the Arawaks at the point of European arrival. Starting at the southern end of the archipelago, they had worked their way north, reaching as far as the island of Saint Kitts by the 16th century.

The islands north of the Saint Kitts 'borderline' had Arawak names while the islands south of it had Kalinago names. The island of Barbados was uninhabited at the point of European arrival, but evidence suggests that Barbados followed the same pattern of displacement as witnessed on neighbouring islands, but that it was abandoned for unknown reasons. The only indigenous name on record for Barbados is one documented as the name used by Arawak peoples on Trinidad in reference to that island.

Leeward Islands

Present Island Name	Indigenous Name	Origin	Meaning
Anguilla	Malliouhana	Arawak	Arrow-Shaped Sea Serpent
St. Martin	Soualiga Oualichi	Arawak	Land of Salt; Land of Beautiful women
St. Barths	Ouanalao	Arawak	Toad on Top
Saba	Siba Amonhana	Arawak	The Rock
St. Eustatius	Aloi	Arawak	Cashew Tree
Vieques	Bieke	Taino	Small
Saint Croix	Ay Ay	Taino	The River
Saint Kitts	Liamuiga	Kalinago	Fertile Land
Nevis	Oualie	Kalinago	Land of Beautiful Water
Montserrat	Alliouagana	Kalinago	Land of Prickly Bush
Barbuda	Wa'omoni	Kalinago	Land of the herons (broader interpretation: Land of the large birds)
Antigua	Waladli	Kalinago	Land of Fish Oil
Redonda	Ocananmanrou	Kalinago	Unknown
Guadeloupe	Karukera	Kalinago	Island of Gumtrees
Marie Galante	Aichi Touloukaera Aulinagan	Kalinago Arawak Arawak	Land of chili peppers; Land of touloulou crabs; Land of cotton

Windward Islands

Present Island Name	Indigenous Name	Origin	Meaning
Dominica	Wai'tukubuli Kairi	Kalinago Arawak	Tall is Her Body Island
Martinique	Jouanacaeira	Kalinago	Land of Iguana
St. Lucia	Hewanorra	Kalinago	Land of the Iguana
Saint Vincent	Hairouna	Kalinago	Land of the Blessed
Bequia	Becouya	Kalinago	Island of the Clouds
Canouan	Cannouan	Kalinago	Island of Turtles
Carriacou	Kayryouacou	Kalinago	Island of Reefs
Grenada	Camerhogne	Kalinago / Galibi?	Land of abundance

Continental

Present Island Name	Indigenous Name	Origin	Meaning
Barbados	Ichirouganaim	Arawak	Red land/island with white teeth (reefs)
Tobago	Tobago	Kalinago / Galibi?	Tobacco Pipe
Trinidad	Kairi Iere	Kalinago	Land of the Hummingbird

Greater Antilles

Present Island Name	Indigenous Name	Origin	Meaning
Hispaniola	Ayiti Quisqueya	Taino Ciguayo^[2]	Rough earth; Mother of all lands
Cuba	Cobao	Taino	Large island or place
Puerto Rico	Borikén	Taino	Land of the Valiant and Noble Lord
Jamaica	Yamaye	Taino	Land of Wood and Water or Land of Springs

Lucayan Archipelago

Julian Granberry and Gary Vescelius suggest the following Lucayan (Taíno) etymologies for various Lucayan islands.^[3]

Modern name	Indigenous name	Indigenous form	Origin	Meaning
Inagua	Inagua	i+na+wa	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Small Eastern Land
Inagua	Baneque	ba+ne+ke	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Big Water Island
Little Inagua	Guanahaní	wa+na+ha+ni	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Small Upper Waters Land
Ragged Island	Utiaquia	huti+ya+kaya	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Western Hutia Island
Crooked/Jumento	Jume(n)to	ha+wo+ma+te	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Upper Land of the Middle Distance
Exuma	Curateo	ko+ra+te+wo	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Outer Far Distant Land
Exuma	Guaratía	wa+ra+te+ya	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Far Distant Land
Turks Bank	Babueca	ba+we+ka	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Large Northern Basin
Big Sand Cay	Cacina	ka+si+na	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Little Northern Sand
Salt Cay	Canamani	ka+na+ma+ni	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Small Northern Mid-Waters
Salt Cay	Cacumani	ka+ko+ma+ni	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Mid-Waters Northern Outlier
Cotton Cay	Macareque	Ma+ka+ri+ke	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Middle Northern Land
Grand Turk	Amuana	aba+wa+na	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	First Small Land
South Caicos	Caciba	ka+siba	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Northern Rocky
East Caicos	Guana	wa+na	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Small Country
Middle Caicos	Aniana	a+ni+ya+na	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Small Far Waters
North Caicos	Caicos	ka+i+ko	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Nearby Northern Outlier
Pine Cay	Buiana	bu+ya+na	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Small Western Home
Pine Cays	Boniana	bo+ni+ya+na	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Small Western Waters Home
Providenciales	Yucanacan	yuka+na+ka	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	The Peoples Small Northern [Land]
Providenciales	Ianicana	ya+ni+ka+na	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Far Waters Smaller [Land]
West Caicos	Macubiza	ma+ko+bi+sa	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Mid Unsettled Outlier
Mayaguana	Mayaguana	ma+ya+wa+na	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Lesser Midwestern Land
Plana Cays	Amaguayo	a+ma+wa+yo	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Toward the Middle Lands
Acklins Island	Yabaque	ya+ba+ke	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Large Western Land
Samana	Samana	sa+ma+na	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Small Middle Forest
Long Island	Yuma	yu+ma	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Higher Middle
Rum Cay	Manigua	ma+ni+wa	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Mid Waters Land
San Salvador	Guanahaní	wa+na+ha+ni	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Small Upper Waters Land
Little San Salvador	Guateo	wa+te+yo	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Toward the Distant Land
Cat Island	Guanima	wa+ni+ma	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Middle Waters Land
Great Guana Cay	Ayrabo	ay+ra+bo	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Far Distant Home
New Providence	Nema	ne+ma	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Middle Waters
Eleuthera	Ciguateo	siba+te+wo	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Distant Rocky Place
Great Abaco	Lucayoneque	luka+ya+ne+ke	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	The People's Distant Waters Land
Grand Bahama	Bahama	ba+ha+ma	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Large Upper Middle [Land]
Andros	Habacoa	ha+ba+ko+wa	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Large Upper Outlier Land
Williams Island	Canimisi	ka+ni+misi	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	Northern Waters Swamp
Bimini	Bimini	bi+mi+ni	Taino (Lucayan dialect)	The Twins

References

Society for Caribbean Linguistics. "SCL Frequently Asked Questions". Auburn University: Center for Diversity and Race Relations. Archived from the original on 23 March 2008. Retrieved 22 March 2008.

"Taíno name for the Islands". Taino Cyber Culture Center. Archived from - Indio.net the original on 30 October 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2013. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)

^ van Hoose, Natalie. "Ancient DNA retells story of Caribbean's first people". Florida Museum. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
^ Granberry and Vescelius, pp. 36
^ Granberry, Julian, & Gary Vescelius (2004). Languages of the Pre-Columbian Antilles. Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press. ISBN 0-8173-5123-X.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[1] van Hoose, Natalie. "Ancient DNA retells story of Caribbean's first people". Florida Museum. Retrieved 2 April 2023.

[2] Granberry and Vescelius, pp. 36

[Granberry-3] Granberry, Julian, & Gary Vescelius (2004). Languages of the Pre-Columbian Antilles. Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press. ISBN 0-8173-5123-X.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

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