Hawaii board votes to change official name of Hawaii Island

The decision follows over a year of discussion – and public concern.

When the proposal was first put forward, many people didn’t even know the board existed.

The change was made to be consistent with other islands and also be more culturally respectful.

“I think we all know Hawaii is the state and also the name of an island, and there’s no distinction between the two, and we want to honor the history of the island itself and give it its proper name,” Marques Marzan, HBGN chair, said back in April.

Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda raised no objections to the name change.

“I know it always has, historically, as kind of named after Hawaii Loa the Navigator. So, Hawaii makes sense. It could be confusing, because the state of Hawaii. But hey, I’ll take it. I mean, Hawaii, that sounds good to me,” said the Mayor.

The change would standardize “Hawaii” across federal and state maps, documents and signage.

Locals and visitors could still refer to it as the “Island of Hawaii” or the Big Island.

It now heads to the federal board for review, a process expected to take about a year.