These islands were first called " Heaven of the chosen", "Happy islands", before getting their individual names. First the island of Great Canaria, which origin has 3 hypothesis :
- the latin word Canis (dog), because of the big dogs living there,
- some villages in the Atlas named Canarii,
- Canna or caña amarga, very spreaded over the area, which milk is poisonous.

The Guanches (first inhabitants) had already named their islands :
- the island of Great Canaria was called "Tamarán" or Land of the braves,
- the island of Lanzarote, "Titeroigatras", which signification is ignored. It was named Lanzarote in memory of the genovese navigator Lanciloto Maloxello.
- the island of Fuerteventura, "Erbania" for Great Canaria's guanches, (unknown meaning), seems to have been named "Fortuite" by the French,
- the island of Tenerife, was first qualified in a french atlas of "Hell island" for fear of the Teide and its quasi constant eruptions. Tenerife was prefered, made of "Tener" (mountain) and "Ife"(white).
- the island of La Gomera, so called since the XIIIth century, with 3 hypothesis : or the word "Ghomerah", a berber tribe living on the island ; or "Goma", for the many mastic-trees producing gum ; or a spanish man called "Gómez" who gave it his name.
- the island of La Palma, called "Benahoave" (my earth), received its actual name either from the Mallorquese, from their capital, or from the palmtrees growing there.
- the island of Hierro, named "Iron island" since the XIVth century, had been named "Ecerós" (strong) by its former dwellers, and it might have been the spanish translation that turned it into Hierro.

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