The mountain was named by explorer Ernest Giles in 1872. Giles was on an expedition to find a way across the desert from east to west. He had just found and named Lake Amadeus. He could see the mountain rising to the west, and hoped to find water there. But, he was unable to get to the mountain because his path was blocked by the lake. Giles in fact over-estimated the size of Lake Amadeus and missed the bridge of land between Amadeus and Lake Neale.