# 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. 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 | Rough earth; Mother of all lands |
| Cuba | Kubao | Taino | Large island or place of abundance |
| Puerto Rico | Borikén | Taino | Land of the Valiant and Noble Lord |
| Jamaica | Yamayé | 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.
| 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 |