Chapter 4 · 1153 – 1848

The island's names

Before it was called Réunion, the island bore at least six different names, given by the powers that approached or claimed it, each telling a distinct chapter of its history.

Dina Morgabin
Around 1153, Arab navigators gave it this name (“the island of the West”) on their Indian Ocean charts.
Santa Apolonia
On 9 February 1507, Saint Apollonia's day, Portuguese navigators sighted it and gave it this name.
Mascarin
Around 1512–1520, the Portuguese admiral Pedro de Mascarenhas gave his name to the whole archipelago: the Mascarenes.
Île Bourbon
In 1649, Étienne de Flacourt named it in honour of the reigning French royal dynasty.
Île de la Réunion
On 8 April 1794, in the midst of the Revolution, it took this name in reference to the union (réunion) of the Marseille federates and the Paris National Guards in 1792.
Île Bonaparte
In 1806, under the Empire, it was renamed in Napoleon's honour, before permanently becoming Île de la Réunion again on 7 March 1848.

Photo: Illustration created for the app · Illustration, not an authentic period photograph

Sources (3)

Wikipédia — La Réunion
Outre-mer La 1ère — Histoire du nom de La Réunion
Détours en France