Naming the Bahamas Islands: History and Folk Etymology

Abstract

The names of the individual islands of the Bahamas and place names on them reflect major currents in their history. Names from the Lucayan period are reflected in Spanish writings of the 16th century; British settlement from Bermuda and from Providence Island influence naming in the late 17th century, while British loyalists from the United States after the Revolutionary War in the late 18th century contribute further names. Even in more recent times there has been some naming and renaming. Names for smaller islands reflect for the most part the flora and fauna of the islands. Historical facts and academic writings, however, have often been disregarded by the population and this has given rise to curious local folk etymologies.
NOTE: An earlier version of this paper was given at the 2014 meeting of ICOS at the University of Glasgow. It was submitted for publication in the Proceedings of that conference. This present version submitted to Onomastica Canadiana is a much expanded and amended version of the earlier paper.