Prior to the opening of the station, this station was named Duchess, and all of the Hwa Chong students wished to name the station "Hwa Chong". Other Singaporeans also decided to name it Hillcrest, Watten, Namly or Coronation. In the end, it was renamed to Tan Kah Kee, in honour of the businessman and community leader who founded Hwa Chong Institution.