In Viking days, they didn't do irony. They named it Greenland because back then, it was actually green, and they could colonize and farm the fertile edges of the island. Later on, the climate changed and the Vikings were frozen off their land.
Today, the glaciers are retreating again. As they melt, the stone villages the Vikings built are emerging from the ice once more.
the ruins of those villages must be interesting, gotta be a documentary soon! =o)
"In this context, about 982, Erik sailed to a somewhat mysterious and little-known land. He rounded the southern tip of the island (later known as Cape Farewell) and sailed up the western coast. He eventually reached a part of the coast that, for the most part, seemed ice-free and consequently had conditions — similar to those of Iceland — that promised growth and future prosperity. According to the Saga of Erik the Red, he spent his three years of exile exploring this land. He named this land "Greenland" because he wanted to attract other people to it."
This one is repeated often enough on FR that I think I'll add it to my profile. I actually learned that this was the origin of the name on FR.
It was a marketing gimmick. Greenland was as much glaciated as now except there were a couple pockets on the south shore that were ice-free enough for some hardy farmers to try it. It's still a topic around the family dinner table: Eric was marginal.