Toponymy
In SENĆOŦEN, the language of the WSÁNEĆ nations, the island is named P'AQwƎČ.
According to Walbran the island was "Named by the early settlers, circa 1853, after ... James Douglas ...". Douglas was a chief factor of the Hudsons Bay Company and was second governor of the Colony of Vancouver Island. Further, Walbran stated "Name adopted by Captain Richards, HMS Plumper, 1858." From 1857 to 1862 Richards supervised hydrographic surveys of the southern coast of British Columbia.
Read more about this topic: James Island (British Columbia)