What was the original Spanish name Columbus gave to the island of Puerto Rico?

The original Spanish name Columbus gave Puerto Rico was San Juan Bautista. The name honors Saint John the Baptist, whose feast day and religious symbolism were important in the Spanish world of the late fifteenth century.

Columbus encountered the island during his second voyage in 1493, although the first permanent Spanish settlement came later under Juan Ponce de León. Early Spanish usage treated San Juan Bautista as the island’s name and Puerto Rico—meaning “rich port”—as the name of its principal harbor and settlement. Over time, those names effectively switched places.

The settlement eventually became known formally as Puerto Rico de San Juan Bautista. By the eighteenth century, Puerto Rico was commonly used for the island, while San Juan referred to the city. That reversal explains why modern readers may see San Juan associated primarily with the capital rather than with the whole island. San Juan Bautista should not be confused with La Española, the Spanish name for Hispaniola.