The Englishman George Powell and the American…
December 1821 CE
The Islands are originally named Powell's Group, with the main island named Coronation Island as it is the year of the coronation of King George IV.
In 1823, James Weddell will visit the Islands, give the archipelago its present name (after the Orkney Islands, Scotland) and also rename some of the islands.
The South Orkney Islands are located at roughly the same latitude south as the Orkney Islands are north (60°S vs 59°N), although it is not known if this was a factor behind the naming of the islands.