Saint Ursula
The first European sighting of the Virgin Islands was by Christopher Columbus in 1493 on his second voyage to the Americas. Columbus gave them the name "Santa Ursula y las Once Mil Vírgenes" (Saint Ursula and her 11,000 Virgins), shortened to "Las Vírgenes" (The Virgins), after the legend of Saint Ursula. He is also reported to have personally named Virgin Gorda (the Fat Virgin), which he thought to be the largest island in the group.