The Key West name originates from the anglicized pronunciation by English-speaking settlers, of the island’s Spanish name Cayo Hueso.
The name was given to the island by the Spanish, the word cayo, referring to a small, flat, sandy island, and hueso, the Spanish word for bone, possibly a reference to the bones of prior native inhabitants, who used the island as burial ground.
Under subsequent English-speaking settlers, the name became Key West, which might have seemed entirely appropriate given the island’s position as the westernmost cay of the Florida Keys archipelago.
