Date
Meaning & History
Means "many islands", derived from Greek πολύς (polys) "many, much" combined with νῆσος (nesos) "island". This name is neither derived from nor inspired by Polynesia, the group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. This is because the name Polinesso comes from Georg Frideric Handel's opera seria Ariodante from 1735, while the name Polynesia was first used for the group of islands in 1756.