Jan Hogendorn, Grossman Professor of Economics, theorises that the name Maldives derives from the Sanskrit ' (), meaning "garland of islands". In Tamil, "Garland of Islands" can be translated as ' (). In Malayalam, "Garland of Islands" can be translated as ' (). In Kannada, "Garland of Islands" can be translated as ' (). None of these names is mentioned in any literature, but classical Sanskrit texts dating back to the Vedic period mention the "Hundred Thousand Islands" (""), a generic name which would include not only the Maldives, but also the Laccadives, Aminidivi Islands, Minicoy, and the Chagos island groups.