Nantucket - Origin of The Name

Origin of The Name

Nantucket takes its name from a word in an Eastern Algonquian language of southern New England, originally spelled variously as natocke, nantaticut, nantican, and nautican. The meaning of the term is uncertain, although it may have meant "in the midst of waters," or "far away island." Other sources state the indigenous American word "Natockete," meaning "faraway land," to be the origin of the name. The Wampanoag who lived in Nantucket referred to the island as "Canopache," or "place of peace." The island has a nickname, "The Gray Lady", which refers to the fog that occurs frequently on and about the Island.