Origins of The Names "Aquidneck" and "Rhode Island"
"Aquidneck" is derived from the Narragansett name for the island, aquidnet. The word literally means "floating-mass-at" or simply "at the island". Other sources claim Aquidneck is a Native word meaning "Isle of Peace."
It is unclear how Aquidneck Island came to be known as Rhode Island. In 1524, the explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano noted the presence of an island near the mouth of Narragansett Bay, which he likened to the Greek island of Rhodes. Although it is unclear to which island Verrazzano was referring, the pilgrims who later colonized the area decided to apply the moniker "Rhode Island" to Aquidneck Island. The earliest known use of the name "Rode Island" was in 1637 by Roger Williams. The name was officially applied to the island in 1644 with these words: "Aquethneck shall be henceforth called the Ile of Rods or Rhod-Island." The name "Isle of Rodes" is found used in a legal document as late as 1646.
Another popular origin theory is based on the fact that Adriaen Block, during his 1614 expedition, passed by Aquidneck Island, described in a 1625 account of his travels as "an island of reddish appearance" (in 17th century Dutch, "een rodlich Eylande"). Dutch maps from as early as 1659 call the island "Roode Eylant", or Red Island. Historians have theorized that the island was named by the Dutch (possibly by Adriaen Block himself) for either the red autumn foliage or red clay on portions of the shore.
In 1644, the colonies of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations combined to form the colony, and eventually the State, of "Rhode Island and Providence Plantations". The entire State is now commonly referred to as "Rhode Island", and the term "Aquidneck Island" is used commonly to refer to the island, even though the official name of Aquidneck is still "Rhode Island". The U.S. Board on Geographic Names addressed the issue in 1930 by using both names of the island on its maps. By 1964, the board decided that having two names was confusing, and "Rhode Island", the official name of the island, was used exclusively. Attempts to change the official name to "Aquidneck Island" have been made as recently as 2004, but all of these attempts have failed. A compromise was reached in 2011 when the RI State Department of Transportation allowed "Aquidneck Island" to be added to State maps as a variant appellation. This variant was employed as a result of the 2006 decision by The U.S. Board of Geographic Names to allow "Rhode Island" and "Aquidneck Island" to co-exist on nautical maps.
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