List of names the Corn Islands had, according to official records
Throughout history, Great Corn Island and Little Corn Island have had several names, some known through oral history and others through diaries and historical documentation.
The following is a list of names the islands had, according to historical text, and why they received those specific names.
Islas Limonares: This name was given to the islands by Christopher Columbus on the 18th of September 1502, after spotting the islands when traveling south of the Central American isthmus. Columbus actually wrote this down in his personal diary, where he also mentioned the wreck of one of his ships on mainland Nicaragua.
Pearl Islands: It is not clear what year precisely the islands were named Pearl Islands, but what is sure is that it was a popular name among pirates–who were the ones that baptized it with this name. English Pirate William Dampier mentioned in his diary visiting the islands in 1681 and remembered that on old maps pirates used, the Corn Islands were called Pearl Islands.
San Luis del Mangle: Or Simple San Luis Islands. The person who gave this name to the Corn Islands was Antonio Escalona, the Governor of the San Andrés Archipelago under Spain's rule around 1841. According to the Spanish Crown, the Corn Islands were also part of the San Andrés Archipelago which was part of one of the several colonies Spain had in the Americas. Antonio Escalona never visited these islands, that today are part of Nicaragua, because of his fear of facing high waves and strong currents to get there.
Corn Islands: There are two versions regarding the current name of the islands, one states that it was given by French pirates who spotted a lot of corn plantations on the islands, that the Kukra Indians presumably planted. The other version says that the islands were named Corn Islands by the British buccaneers who used the area to restock and corned their meat supplies.
In old maps that date back to the British occupation of the Mosquitia shores, the islands are referred to as The Corn Island or Great Corn Island and Little Corn Island.
