Metis was found by Andrew Graham on April 25, 1848; it was his only asteroid discovery. It is also the only asteroid to have been found as a result of observations from Ireland. Its name comes from the mythological Metis, a Titaness and Oceanid, daughter of Tethys and Oceanus. The name "Thetis" was also considered and rejected (it would later devolve to 17 Thetis).