The aboriginal heritage of the Canary archipelago is still present in every corner of the islands, from the names of the towns, through the vocabulary, to the proper names. Gara, Agoney, or Yaiza are some of the most widespread names in Lanzarote and the rest of the Canary Islands.
Gara is one of the best-known female names, and some studies reveal its meaning could be "safe place." Behind this name is a very popular aboriginal legend on the islands: that of Gara and Jonay. Gara was a Guanche princess from Tenerife of great beauty and intelligence who fell in love with a young Guanche prince. Both were betrothed and in love, but their love was forbidden by their tribes. However, this princess's sister was also in love with him.
As a result of this prohibition, both decided to flee together to the summit, but upon being discovered, they decided to separate to avoid being captured. Gara waited for Jonay in a cave on the coast, but when he did not return and after waiting for days, she died of sadness. In Spain, there are 2,106 people registered with this name, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INE).
For its part, Cathaysa is also one of the most widespread names, whose meaning is "strong and brave woman." Its origin comes from the word kathay, which means "place of rest or peace." In the Canary aboriginal culture, Cathaysa was the daughter of the king of Gáldar, one of the most important Guanche kingdoms of Gran Canaria.
The legend tells that Cathaysa fell in love with a Spanish conqueror named Juan Rejón, whom she married and had several children with, despite everyone being against it due to their totally different origins. According to INE, 964 people in Spain bear this name.
Yaiza, which also gives its name to one of the municipalities of Lanzarote, is perhaps the most widespread name throughout Spanish territory. It means "she who was born in the light of day" and was a very common name in aboriginal culture. Yaiza was the name of an aboriginal princess who lived in the southern part of the island whose skin color changed with the light of dusk like a rainbow. Yaiza, according to legend, agreed to peace with the conqueror Jean de Béthencourt to avoid conflict after giving him a magical flower. In Spain, 14,734 people bear this name.
Another very common name in the Canary Islands is Yeray, which means "brave" or "hero" due to its possible derivation from the aboriginal word yeri. It is a very widespread name throughout Spain and even in Latin America. In Spain, 13,248 men have this name and 73 women.
On the other hand, Idaira means "she who illuminates", "she who brings light" or "star". It is also attributed a relationship with a translation of "princess" or "noble", probably because one of the aboriginal princesses was named that. In Spain, 2,782 women bear this name.
One of the less common names in the Canary Islands is Guayarmina. She was a Guanche princess who ruled in Gran Canaria before the conquest. Her name signifies power and leadership, becoming a symbol of resistance. In Spain, there are 325 people registered with this name.
Agoney, a masculine name, is another name that translates to "brave" or "warrior" and comes from La Gomera. According to experts, it is believed that the root -agon means "valley". A total of 427 people bear this name in Spain, according to the INE.
The name Ico is, probably, one of the names most rooted in Lanzarote. This is due to the legend of Princess Ico, a noble aboriginal woman from the island. According to the historian and philologist Juan Álvarez Delgado, Ico is related to the Tuareg word ach-ben-ico, which means "the shorn".
Legend has it that in the year 1377, a ship captained by the Biscayan Martín Ruiz de Avendaño arrived on the island and was received by King Zonzamas, who offered his wife Fayna to lodge with him and have relations with her, something common in their culture. The fruit of this relationship was Ico, a girl with very white skin compared to the majos, who were dark-skinned.
Years later, Ico married a young majo named Guanarame, but his death caused a conflict because the nobles did not accept Ico as one of their own, being the daughter of a European. To determine if Ico was maja, they forced her to undergo the smoke test, which consisted of locking her up with three maids and giving them smoke. If Ico was noble, she would survive. To survive, an old woman advised her to use a damp sponge to breathe through the smoke. This allowed Ico to survive. In Spain, there are only 92 registered people with this name.
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