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Home › Baby Names Directory › Anacaona

Anacaona

♀ Girl

Pronounced ah-nah-kah-OH-nah

Meaning: golden flower

In 30 seconds: Anacaona means golden flower in Taino (Arawakan), the name of a celebrated Hispaniola cacique, poet, and leader executed by the Spanish in 1503.
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Origin Taino
Meaninggolden flower
U.S. rank (2022)#15472
2022 U.S. births5 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year2022
Total births (all-time)≈ 5

History & Origin

Anacaona means golden flower in Taino, the Arawakan language of the pre-Columbian Caribbean, from ana (flower) and caona (gold) — the same gold root found in the name Caonabó, her husband. She was cacique of Xaraguá, the westernmost province of Hispaniola (present-day Haiti), celebrated for composing areytos: ceremonial songs combining poetry, narrative, and dance. Spanish Governor Nicolás de Ovando arrested her in 1503 under the pretext of a peaceful visit and had her publicly hanged. Las Casas, Peter Martyr, and Oviedo all documented her. Her name endures as a symbol of Taino resistance and artistic excellence.

Did you know? Anacaona was celebrated as a composer of areytos — traditional Taino ceremonial songs — making her one of the earliest named poets of the Caribbean.
Las Casas, Bartolomé de — Historia de las Indias, Vol. II (written c. 1527–61; pub. 1875) — Primary colonial source on Anacaona; her role as cacique of Xaraguá, her areítos, and her execution documented in detailPané, Ramón — Relación acerca de las Antigüedades de los Indios (c. 1498, pub. 1571) — Earliest Taino ethnography; Arawakan root caona (gold) documented in religious and naming contexts

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If you like Anacaona…

Agüeybaná— Taino paramount cacique name — parallel high-status name from Puerto Rico in the same Arawakan tradition
Atabey— Taino supreme goddess of water and fertility — another powerful feminine Taino name
Yuisa— Taino cacica of Loíza, Puerto Rico — historical feminine cacique name from the same era
Guanina— Taino name meaning bright or shining one — feminine Taino name attested in 16th-century sources

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Frequently Asked

What does Anacaona mean?

Anacaona means golden flower in the Taino language of the Arawakan people of the Caribbean. The elements ana (flower) and caona (gold) combine to create one of the most beautiful and historically resonant Taino names.

How do you pronounce Anacaona?

Pronounced ah-nah-kah-OH-nah, with five syllables and stress on the fourth. Each vowel is clearly and openly sounded, as in Spanish pronunciation.

Who was Anacaona historically?

Anacaona (c. 1474–1504) was a Taino female cacique of Xaraguá (present-day western Haiti), celebrated as a composer of areítos (ceremonial songs) and a political leader. She was executed by Spanish governor Nicolás de Ovando in 1503–04.

Is Anacaona a boy's or girl's name?

Anacaona is a feminine Taino name, borne by one of the most celebrated women in Caribbean Indigenous history.

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