WRITTEN by JOHN MORRIS
First impressions and all sorts of interesting implications
Giving a name to a child or even naming a place is a bigger responsibility than you think.
Why? Because it becomes forever. You have to think seriously about nicknames or how a child might be teased.
I used to work with folks from the UK and believe me, some of the names I encountered make you sit back and well… just laugh.
I promise you I am not making these names up, they are former business colleagues – Ben Dover, Alfred Sorebottom, and the unthinkable blunder of the Swallow family naming their child Richard.
On Roatan, there are many unusual last names for the Caribbean. Mostly because they come from the British roots that once ruled the island. Ebanks, Brooks, McNab, McLaughlin, Woods, Jackson and Hyde to name just a few but they live on to this day and these families are proud of this heritage, which I find wonderful.
While these names have spread out like a tree creating different branches of the families, they are almost always traced. Sometimes it gets confusing to understand though, even when you have the same last name. ‘Shame and Scandal’ in the family, right Ms. Daine?
But what I really want to address here are the names of the towns and communities on the island. Some make sense and some don’t, but isn’t that always the way?
Coxen Hole was named after the pirate John Coxen but I’m not sure what a hole is.
Why do we have a ‘French’ Harbor?
Jonesville and Oakridge do make sense as the Jones family was the first to settle Jonesville… and Oakridge has a large population of oaks.
Port Royal was most likely a pirate extension from the famous Port Royal in Jamaica that slid into the sea during an earthquake.
Camp Bay perhaps got its name because there once was nothing there so you had to camp?
Diamond Rock was named after the extremely hard rock found there…
Turtling Bay for its abundance of turtles…
Crawfish Rock known for a large population of crawfish, a variation of a lobster…
But Hottest Sparrow? I don’t get it. Is it the opposite of Coldest Crow?
Mud Hole once was obvious but with the new road, it no longer fits… plus it’s an unattractive name.
We have plenty of bights and bays including the fascinating Neverstain Bight named for the fact that due to hot springs in the water, barnacles do not attach to boat bottoms.
Punta Blanca, and Punta Gorda I get, but Politilly Bight? What the heck is a Politilly? Sounds like a mispronunciation of positively.
“Are you sure this is the correct bight, Captain?“
“Politilly!”
Heading west on the south shore we have Gravel Bay, Pensacola and Flowers Bay. Not sure on the first two but folklore tells us that at one time Flowers Bay was covered with beautiful wild flowers.
And then we come to what nearly every tourist finds confusing: West End and West Bay. You see, West End is not the end. West Bay is the end of the west. Go figure.
So get out the map and take a road trip. Stop and talk to locals and for sure you will hear some great and fun stories about what’s in a name!
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