Swedish Antarctic Expedition
The island was originally named Uruguay Island by the Swedish Antarctic Expedition, 1901-04, under Otto Nordenskjöld, after the Argentine ship Uruguay which participated in the rescue of the ship-wrecked Swedish Antarctic Expedition in 1903. It was ultimately renamed Andersson Island on November 21, 1949. It was named for Dr. Johan Gunnar Andersson (1874-1960), a Swedish geologist who had served on the Swedish Antarctic Expedition. The renaming was necessary to avoid confusion with Uruguay Island, located off the Graham Coast.