The Hawaiʻi Board on Geographic Names has moved to standardize the official name of the state’s largest island as “Hawaiʻi,” a change that applies to state government maps and documents and has prompted public questions about how place names are determined.
The update affects how state agencies refer to the island in official materials and does not change how residents or visitors commonly use the name.
“Yes, the name change is official and primarily affects state agencies. It is not meant to change common usage of the name of the island, but was meant to bring it in line with the names of the other islands in the archipelago,” Arthur Buto, manager of the Hawaiʻi Statewide GIS Program with the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, told Aloha State Daily. “It does not preclude the use of ‘Island of Hawaiʻi,’ ‘the Big Island,’ or ‘Hawaiʻi Island,’ but agencies should use ‘Hawaiʻi’ when there is no ambiguity.”
The discussion began in March 2024, when members of the Hawaiʻi Board on Geographic Names proposed reviewing the island’s primary official name. The island is currently listed in state records as the “Island of Hawaiʻi,” making it the only major island in the Hawaiian archipelago whose official name includes the word “Island.”
The proposal was formally introduced during the board’s April 2024 meeting, where it prompted a surge of emails and phone calls to the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development. Members of the public sought clarification about the scope of the change, the authority of the board, and whether commonly used names would be affected.
Board members said the effort is focused on clarity and consistency across government records.
“The historical purpose of the Hawaiʻi Board on Geographic Names was to provide standard and consistent names for geographic features as they appear on official state maps and documents to avoid confusion and ambiguity,” Buto said. “More recently the HBGN has been adding appropriate diacriticals, ʻokina and kahakō, to the spellings of feature names when there is evidence of the origin and meaning.”
The name change will next be reviewed by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, which sets naming standards for federal agencies.
“The name change will be submitted to the U.S. BGN for its review. They will decide whether or not to approve it at the federal level,” Buto said. “If approved, federal agencies would be required to use the name on maps and documents. As with the HBGN, the U.S. BGN’s purpose is to make consistent the names of geographic features as they appear on federal maps, documents and signage.”
Cultural advisors say the decision reflects the deeper importance of place names in Hawaiʻi and across the Pacific.
“The Board strongly champions the proper identification of geographic features within the state,” Marques Hanalei Marzan, curator for cultural resilience at Bishop Museum, told ASD. “Place names hold significant meaning to the culture, communities and stories of Hawaiʻi. The decision to recognize Hawaiʻi in this manner honors the long legacy of ancestral name-giving that has been carried across the Pacific for generations, including Savaiʻi, Hawaiki, and ʻAwaiki.”
The proposed change remains under federal review. More information about the state-level decision is available here through the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development.
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