The first inhabitants of the land now known as Rodman's Neck were the Siwanoy, the indigenous people of the area. The land was included in the purchase made by Thomas Pell in 1654. Rodman's Neck is named after a local man, Samuel Rodman, while the southern tip, known as "Pell's Point", is where the British landed during the Revolutionary War's Battle of Pell's Point. It was originally named "Anne's Hoeck" (or Ann Hook's Neck) after Anne Hutchinson; her killer, Wampage I, who took the name Anhõõke after the massacre; and his son, Wampage II, who used the name "Ann Hook".