Wanderlust World Wanderlust World The original name of Puerto Rico was "Boriquén", given by the indigenous Taíno people who inhabited the island before European contact.
Change by the Spanish:
The name "Puerto Rico" was given by Spanish explorers in the late 15th century.
- Christopher Columbus, during his second voyage to the Americas in 1493, sighted the island and named it "San Juan Bautista".
- In 1508, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León became the first European governor of Puerto Rico and changed its name to "Puerto Rico", meaning "Rich Port" in Spanish. The name stuck, and the island has been known as Puerto Rico ever since.