Originally this area was called County 5, when the Organic Act of May 2, 1890 created Oklahoma Territory. At an August 5, 1890 election, the voters of County 5 overwhelmingly voted for the name "Kingfisher" over "Hennessey" and "Harrison". The origin of the name is unclear. The "Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture" mentions three different possibilities. The first is that the name memorialized a local rancher, David King Fisher. The second version is that King and Fisher were two different settlers, whose names were combined for the county and town. The third explanation was that the name was for a rancher named John Fisher and for whom Uncle Johns Creek was named.