Atolls of The Maldives - Etymology of Atoll Names

Etymology of Atoll Names

The names of the natural atolls of the Maldives are the names given to them by the first settlers of the country or the names derived from these. The atolls are usually named after islands that belong to the atoll and perhaps those that were the first sites of settlements in each atoll, or the main island of each atoll. The etymology of the names of the atolls can be traced as follows.

• Ihavandhippolhu Atoll- after the island of Ihavandhoo in the south east of the atoll.
• Thiladhunmati- after the island of Thiladhoo (now part of Dhiddhoo island).
• Māmakunudhoo- the major (mā) division to which the island of Makunudhoo belong to.
• Miladummadulu- after the island of Milandhoo on the eastern fringes of the atoll.
• Faadhippolhu- after Faadhoo island. Traditionally the name was Faadu Bur (that is, a complete circle from Fadhoo back to Faadhoo).
• The Maalhosmadulu Atolls- after the island of Maalhos, now in the southern atoll.
• Fasdhūtherē Atoll- literally means ‘what lies between the five islands’.
• Goifulhafehendhu Atoll- amalgamation of the names of the three inhabited islands of the atoll, Goidhoo, Fulhadhoo and Fehendhoo.
• The Male’ Atolls- after the island of Male’, the capital of the Maldives since 1117.
• Ari Atoll- after Ariadhoo island, an important historic religious centre of the Maldives in the pre-Islamic era.
• Rasdhukuramathi Atoll- amalgamation of the names of the two largest islands of the atoll, Rasdhoo and Kuramathi.
• Felidhu Atoll- after the island of Felidhoo, the capital of the atoll.
• Mulaku Atoll- after the island of Boli Mulah, an important historic centre of the Maldives.
• The Nilandhe Atolls- after the island of Nilandhoo, now in the northern atoll and was an important historic religious centre of the Maldives in the pre-Islamic era.
• Kolhumadulu- meaning atoll at the end (kolhu) in reference to the end of the east-west divide of the Maldives Atolls between Kaashidhoo Kandu and Kudahuvadhoo Kandu.
• Haddhunmathi- from Ihadhunmathi meaning the first seen (iha'dhuh) part (mathi) or after the island of Ihadhoo (first island) that was located east of Isdhoo; this is believed to be the first region of the archipelago that was settled by the ancient Dheyvis people.
• Huvadhu Atoll- after the island of Keyhuvadhoo which was located between Hoandedhoo and the island of Hunigondiréhaa (few remains of the settlement such as coral wells can be seen on what is now a reef). The name Huvadhu itself means ‘the forbidden place’.
• Fuvahmulah- Areca nut (Fuvah in the local language) is a major product of this atoll or island in vast quantities from ancient times. The original name of the island could have simply been Mulah, but was called Fuvahmulah (the Mulah (island) of the arecanut palms) to distinguish it from Boli Mulah - another important island in ancient Maldives.
• Addu Atoll- after the island of Addu which was located south of Gan. The island of Addu was dredged off by the British in 1959 to construct the Gan airfield.

The few atoll names on the Admitralty charts that differ from their local Dhivehi names (namely Malcolm Atoll, Horsburg Atoll and Ross Atoll) were named by Robert Moresby in honor of famous commanders and officers of the British Empire, after the Moresby Cartographic Survey (1834–1836) of the Maldive Islands.