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How did Uvea receive the European name Wallis?

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Map showing the French overseas territory of Wallis and Futuna in the South Pacific Ocean, with detailed insets of the Wallis Islands (centered on Uvea) and the Horne Islands (Futuna and Alofi). The map marks settlements, main roads, mountains such as Mount Singavi and Mount Kolofau, and surrounding waters. A locator inset shows the territory's position relative to the Pacific region.
Wallis and Futuna

The island of Uvea received the European name Wallis after it was encountered by the British navigator Capt. Samuel Wallis in 1767. While the name Wallis is used in a European context, the indigenous name, Uvea, is of much greater antiquity.12