06/24/2026
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What’s in a name?
Albemarle Sound – briefly known as Carolina River in 1663. It was named after George Monck, Duke of Albemarle. Portions of the Albemarle sound have been given their own names to distinguish them from other parts of the large estuary. The Croatan Sound lies between mainland Dare County and Roanoke Island. The water bordering the eastern shore of Roanoke Island to the Outer Banks is commonly referred to as Roanoke Sound (this is also a historical name for the entire body of water now known as Albemarle Sound. The lengthy stretch of water from near the Virginia state line south to around the Currituck County southern boundary is known as the Currituck Sound.
Buxton – the Hatteras Island town was first known as The Cape then changed to Buxton in 1882 after Judge Ralph P. Buxton.
Chicamacomico – an Algonquian phrase meaning place of sinking down sands. The name Chicamacomico Banks once referred to Pea Island.
Corolla – Named after the inner petals of a flower, the corolla.
Dare County – named after Virginia Dare, said to be the first English child born in America on Roanoke Island.
Duck – named for the wild ducks in the area. It once was a mecca for waterfowl hunting.
Frisco - was previously named Trent or Trent Woods then was renamed with the opening of the post office in 1898.
Gull Shoal – a small island in the Pamlico sound off the western side of Hatteras island and formerly called Gull Shore. Spoil and estuarine islands can be nesting sites for laughing, herring and black-backed gulls in North Carolina.
Hatteras Island – Hatteras is said to be an Algonquian translation for the expression meaning “there is less vegetation.”
Kill Devil Hills – A possible explanation is that the town was named after popular rum with enough potency to “kill the devil.”
Kinnakeet – Algonquian word for: that which is mixed. Kinnakeet was eventually renamed Avon.
Kitty Hawk - The name Kitty Hawk derives from the Algonquian word Chickahawk, meaning "a place to hunt geese."
Manteo – Manteo was named for the 16th century Native American, Manteo, from the Algonquian-speaking group inhabiting the area and who met with the English explorers that came to Roanoke Island.
Nags Head – Some credit the name to shipwrecked sailors coming from Nags Head, England, while others prefer the legend of piratical folk walking the beaches with a lantern hung around a nag’s head to lure ships into the shallow waters.
Ocracoke – the name is said to be derived from Wokokon, a tribe of Native Americans who visited the island to gather seafood. A legend has it that Ocracoke came about from Blackbeard’s murderer awaiting dawn and the pirates arrival by calling: “O Crow C**k Crow! O Crow C**k!
Pamlico Sound – named for the Pamlico Indians who lived along the sound’s shores.
Roanoke Island – the name is said be derived from the Algonquian word for northerners or northern people – referring to the fact that the Native Americans lived on the north end of the island or that they had migrated from their ancestral home in the north.
Rodanthe - it is theorized that it is named after a non-native flower Rodantha.
Teaches Hole – said to be named after Edward Teach aka Blackbeard who lost his life at Ocracoke where Teaches Hole is located.
Wanchese – named after an Algonquian-speaking Native American who came in contact with English explorers in the late 1600s.
Waves – formerly named Rodanthe and named waves due to its seaside location.
Image: Sunrise at Cape Hatteras by Lisa Cooper.
