Which island inspired the name of the Kotlin programming language?

Kotlin Island inspired the name of the Kotlin programming language.

JetBrains introduced Kotlin in 2011 as a statically typed language designed to run on the Java Virtual Machine. The name refers to Kotlin Island, which lies near Saint Petersburg in the Gulf of Finland. JetBrains has a major presence in Saint Petersburg, making the geographic reference especially appropriate.

Kotlin was designed to be concise, interoperable with Java, and safer in common programming situations. Its ability to use existing Java libraries helped it fit into established Java projects without requiring a complete rewrite.

In 2017, Google announced first-class support for Kotlin on Android. In 2019, Google described Kotlin as its preferred language for Android development. Kotlin is also used for server software, desktop applications, and multiplatform projects.