The First Europeans (1493–1623) He named Saint Kitts San Jorge (Saint George) and Nevis San Martin (sighted on Saint Martin's Day). By 1540, Nieves was used by the Spanish, an abbreviation of Santa Maria de las Nieves, a reference to its cloud cover resembling snow.

The historical name for the islands of St. Kitts and Nevis is Saint Christopher and Nevis. Specifically, "St. Kitts" is a shortened, colloquial version of Saint Christopher, which was named by Christopher Columbus during his second voyage in 1493. The Carib people, who inhabited the island before European colonization, called it Liamuiga, which translates to "fertile land." Nevis was originally named Oualie ("land of beautiful waters") by the Caribs, but the Spanish later called it "Nuestra Señora de las Nieves" (Our Lady of the Snows) because of the white clouds that frequently ringed the island's volcanic peak, resembling snow. For much of the colonial era under British rule, the territory was formally referred to as the Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla colony. Following Anguilla's secession and the islands' eventual independence in 1983, the twin-island nation adopted the official name "The Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis." In 2026, both names remain legally valid, though the shorter "St. Kitts" is the primary brand used in the global tourism and trade sectors.