Origin of "Hawaii"

Hawaii State Name Origin

stateofHawaiimap.jpg

State of Hawaii, USA

State of Hawaii, USA (public domain image).

What does "Hawaii" mean?

The name "Hawai'i" is possibly based on the native Hawaiian word for homeland (Owhyhee). All State Name Origins

The islands were first settled by the Polynesians as early as 400 A.D. In 1778 Captain James Cook landed at Waimea Bay on the island of Kauai, becoming the first European to make contact with the Hawaiian Islands. He named the group "the Sandwich islands" (in honor of the Earl of Sandwich). This name lasted until King Kamehameha I united the islands under his rule in 1819 as the "Kingdom of Hawai'i.".

Hawaii

Images

Statue of King Kamehameha I (O'ahu - Honolulu - Capitol District); photo by Wally Gobetz on Flickr (noncommercial use permitted with attribution / no derivative works).

Statue of King Kamehameha I

Videos

How the Earth Was Made: Hawaii | History