Where did Rhode Island get its name?

Question

Being as it is not an island, why the moniker Rhode "Island"?

Answer 1

I live in RI. and have lived here all my life.

SO the real name of rhode island is

Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.

Basically it was brought here when something funky was going on down massachuessetts and a man didnt agree. so he named this territory and made it his own.

that is not the official story but it is a story i have heard many times... and it not being the real story i still pass it on because LOCALS pass it.

Answer 2

I did a state report on RHode Island in the 5th grade so here is why it was named that:

Rhode Island is surrounded by 75% percent water=that's where the  island came from

Rhode= Probably the last name of an important or rich guy

Answer 3

Officially named the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, the state is called Rhode Island in common usage; but most of the state lies on the North American mainland. Providence Plantations refers to the mainland, while Rhode Island is actually the official name for Aquidneck Island (now composed of the city of Newport, and the towns of Middletown and Portsmouth).

Answer 4

Hmmm, good question.  I moved to Rhode Island a few years ago and have often wondered that myself.  While enjoying a Guinness with some friends in Newport, I first heard the story behind Aquidneck Island and that it was "Rhode Island", named after the Isle of Rhodes, and the mainland was "the Providence Plantations".

Naturally, when I saw the alternative explanation, I had to dig a little more.  It appears not even us Little Rhody's seem to agree.

RI.gov website tells the story of the Dutch explorer Adriaen Block and "Roodt Eylandt", while the Secretary of State's website tells the story of the Italian explorer Verazzano naming it after the Greek Isle of Rhodes.  Typical of government, I suppose.  

In 2000 Ask Yahoo answered the question and addressed the controversy...

http://ask.yahoo.com/20000802.html

In summary, they concluded the Isle of Rhodes story to be the most accepted.  Either way, the commonly used state name is shortened and the island part of it refers to Aquidneck Island.

Answer 5

The official explanation by the State of Rhode Island is that Adriaen Block named the area "Roodt Eylandt" meaning "red island" in reference to the red clay that lined the shore of the presumed island, and that the name was later anglicized when the region came under British rule.

- Rhode Island is officially named the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

- Rhode Island's original name was Louisa and later changed to Aquidneck Island.

- Rhode Island's nickname is the "Ocean State" but is also known as "Little Rhody".