List of the Indigenous Names of the Eastern Caribbean Islands

The Islands of the Caribbean were settled for over 4,000 years (estimate) before European arrival in 1492. The Eastern Caribbean islands were dominated by two main cultural groups, the Arawaks and the Kalinago, or Caribs. Indivicual villages of other distinct cultural groups were also present on the more Southernly, larger islands. The large island of Trinidad in particular was shared by both Kalinago and Arawak groups.

Archaeological evidence suggests the Arawaks arrived first, settling the islands as they travelled North from the Orinoco River in Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

. The Kalinago, which proved to be more dominant in warfare, had begun a campaign of conquering and displacement of the Arawaks at the point of European arrival. Also starting at the South of the archipelago, they had worked their way up North, reaching as far as the island of Saint Kitts

Saint Kitts

Saint Kitts Saint Kitts Saint Kitts (also known more formally as Saint Christopher Island (Saint-Christophe in French) is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean...

 by the 16th century. The following lists the indigenous names for the islands of the Eastern Caribbean. The islands North of the Saint Kitts 'borderline' have their Arawak names, the islands South have their Kalinago names. The island of Barbados was uninhabited at the point of European arrival, but evidence suggests they followed the same pattern of displacement as witnessed on neighbouring islands, but was abandoned for unknown reasons. The only indigenous name on record is one documented as the name used by Arawak peoples on Trinidad in reference to it.

Leeward Islands

Leeward Islands

The Leeward Islands are a group of islands in the West Indies. They are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain. As a group they start east of Puerto Rico and reach southward to Dominica. They are situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean...

Present Island Name	Indigenous Name	Origin	Meaning
Anguilla Anguilla Anguilla is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin...	Malliouhana	Arawak Arawakan languages Macro-Arawakan is a proposed language family of South America and the Caribbean based on the Arawakan languages. Sometimes the proposal is called Arawakan, in which case the central family is called Maipurean....	Arrow-Shaped Sea Serpent
St. Martin	Soualiga Oualichi	Arawak Arawakan languages Macro-Arawakan is a proposed language family of South America and the Caribbean based on the Arawakan languages. Sometimes the proposal is called Arawakan, in which case the central family is called Maipurean....	Land of Salt
St. Barths	Ouanalao	Arawak Arawakan languages Macro-Arawakan is a proposed language family of South America and the Caribbean based on the Arawakan languages. Sometimes the proposal is called Arawakan, in which case the central family is called Maipurean....	Unknown
Saba	Siba Amonhana	Arawak Arawakan languages Macro-Arawakan is a proposed language family of South America and the Caribbean based on the Arawakan languages. Sometimes the proposal is called Arawakan, in which case the central family is called Maipurean....	The Rock
St. Eustatius	Aloi	Arawak Arawakan languages Macro-Arawakan is a proposed language family of South America and the Caribbean based on the Arawakan languages. Sometimes the proposal is called Arawakan, in which case the central family is called Maipurean....	Cashew Tree
Saint Croix	Ay Ay	Taino Taíno people The Taínos were pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. It is thought that the seafaring Taínos are relatives of the Arawak people of South America...	The River
Saint Kitts Saint Kitts Saint Kitts Saint Kitts Saint Kitts (also known more formally as Saint Christopher Island (Saint-Christophe in French) is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean...	Liamuiga	Kalinago	Fertile Land
Nevis Nevis Nevis is an island in the Caribbean Sea, located near the northern end of the Lesser Antilles archipelago, about 350 km east-southeast of Puerto Rico and 80 km west of Antigua. The 93 km² island is part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies...	Oualie	Kalinago	Land of Beautiful Water
Montserrat Montserrat Montserrat is a British overseas territory located in the Leeward Islands, part of the chain of islands called the Lesser Antilles in the West Indies. This island measures approximately long and wide, giving of coastline...	Alliouagana	Kalinago	Land of Prickly Bush
Barbuda Barbuda Barbuda is an island in the Eastern Caribbean, and forms part of the state of Antigua and Barbuda. It has a population of about 1,500, most of whom live in the town of Codrington.-Location:...	Wa'omoni	Kalinago	Unknown
Antigua Antigua Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...	Wadadli	Kalinago	Land of Fish Oil
Redonda Redonda Redonda is a very small, uninhabited Caribbean island which is part of Antigua and Barbuda, in the Leeward Islands, West Indies.This small island lies southwest of Antigua, in the waters between the islands of Nevis and Montserrat...	Ocananmanrou	Kalinago	Unknown
Guadeloupe Guadeloupe Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...	Karukera	Kalinago	Island of Beautiful Waters
Marie Galante	Aichi Touloukaera	Kalinago Arawak Arawakan languages Macro-Arawakan is a proposed language family of South America and the Caribbean based on the Arawakan languages. Sometimes the proposal is called Arawakan, in which case the central family is called Maipurean....	Unknown

Windward Islands

Windward Islands

The Windward Islands are the southern islands of the Lesser Antilles, within the West Indies.-Name and geography:The Windward Islands are called such because they were more windward to sailing ships arriving in the New World than the Leeward Islands, given that the prevailing trade winds in the...

Present Island Name	Indigenous Name	Origin	Meaning
Dominica Dominica Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...	Wai'tukubuli	Kalinago	Tall is Her Body
Martinique Martinique Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...	Madinina	Kalinago	Land of Flowers
St. Lucia	Hiwanarau Hewanorra	Kalinago	Land of the Iguana
Saint Vincent Saint Vincent (island) Saint Vincent is a volcanic island in the Caribbean. It is the largest island of the chain called Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It is located in the Caribbean Sea, between Saint Lucia and Grenada. It is composed of partially submerged volcanic mountains...	Hairoun	Kalinago	Land of the Blessed
Bequia Bequia Bequia is the largest island in the Grenadines. It is part of the country of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and is approximately 15 km from the nation's capital, Kingstown.-Geography:The island capital is Port Elizabeth...	Becoua	Kalinago	Island of the Clouds
Canouan Canouan Canouan is an island in the Grenadines Islands belonging to St Vincent. It is a tiny island, measuring only 3.5 miles by 1.25 miles.A barrier reef runs along the Atlantic side of the island. The highest point on the island is Mount Royal. Two bays, Glossy and Friendship, separate the southern side...	Cannouan	Kalinago	Island of Turtles
Carriacou	Kayryouacou	Kalinago	Island of Reefs
Grenada Grenada Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...	Camerhogue	Kalinago / Galibi?	Unknown

Continental

Present Island Name	Indigenous Name	Origin	Meaning
Barbados Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...	Ichirouganaim	Arawak Arawakan languages Macro-Arawakan is a proposed language family of South America and the Caribbean based on the Arawakan languages. Sometimes the proposal is called Arawakan, in which case the central family is called Maipurean....	Red land/island with white teeth (reefs)
Tobago Tobago Tobago is the smaller of the two main islands that make up the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located in the southern Caribbean, northeast of the island of Trinidad and southeast of Grenada. The island lies outside the hurricane belt...	Tobago	Kalinago / Galibi?	Tobacco Pipe
Trinidad Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...	Kairi Lele	Kalinago	Land of the Hummingbird