Is Brevard's Melbourne named after the Australian city? How the Space Coast city was named

Do you know why Brevard County is named Brevard?

A Space Coast resident sent me an email after reading my article about beach bars in Brevard. Joe Downing, a retiree from Cape Canaveral, questioned, if Brevard is made up of 72 miles of beaches, why isn’t it named Beach County?

“It would be a marketing gold mine,” Downing wrote in his email. “I'm pretty sure there aren't many people left who care about Theodore Washington Brevard, an antebellum state comptroller.”

That got me thinking. First, I had to admit I didn't know Brevard was named for Theodore Washington Brevard. I did some research and according to an old FLORIDA TODAY article the county was previously known as Mosquito County.

I agree with Downing that Brevard County isn't the most inviting name, but it's way better than Mosquito County. That would be a marketing land mine!

Second, I started wondering about the cities in Brevard. How did they get their names?

Some names are pretty self-explanatory, while others have a bit of a story: One was named based on a contest and another was named by the winner of a dominos game.

Melbourne

I often have to clarify for people that I live in Florida, not Australia. But there was in fact a bit of influence from the other Melbourne down under for ours here on the Space Coast.

As the story goes, the first postmaster in the area eventually known as Melbourne was a man named Cornthwaite John Hector. He was an Englishman, but spent much of his life in Melbourne, Australia.

Back in 1888 a name was needed for the area as its first post office was being established. It would make sense that Hector would be the one to recommend naming the are Melbourne, after the Australian one he spent time in, but no.

It was actually someone else, R.W. Goode, who suggested the name Melbourne.

Legend has it different names were written down and one was drawn. The one that was drawn was Melbourne. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Titusville

Did you know Titusville was almost known as Riceville? That is if a friendly domino game would have had a different outcome.

Apparently way back in 1873 Colonel Henry T. Titus and Capt. Clark Rice challenged each other to name the city.

Titus emerged victorious, hence the name Titusville.

Palm Bay

Palm Bay wasn’t always known as Palm Bay.

Back in the late 1800s it was known as Tillman. Fast forward to 1925. That’s when a few hundred residents felt the name didn’t accurately depict the city located at the mouth of Turkey Creek.

They petitioned a name change and came up with Palm Bay.

Which do you think is better, Tillman or Palm Bay?

Rockledge

Rockledge is Brevard County’s first incorporated municipality having been founded Aug. 7, 1887.

Its name is credited to Gardner S. Hardee , an early settler.

Hardee got the name from the area where the land met the Indian River. This is where he observed many ledges of coquina rock and referred to the area as “Rock Ledge.”

Mims

Mims was named after one of the city’s early settlers, Casper Neil Mims.

He came to the area in 1876 and opened the area’s first dry goods and grocery store.

Cocoa

There’s a few different versions out there of how Cocoa got its name.

One attributes Captain R.C. May with selecting the name Cocoa at a town meeting in 1884. This came during a meeting when it was suggested the name be based off a local product or characteristic based on the area.

May suggested Cocoa after the Cocoa plant and those in attendance agreed.

Another story explained residents were discussing possible names when a woman received inspiration from a box of Baker’s Cocoa. She suggested the name Cocoa and it was adopted.

Yet another version goes like this: An older woman living along the Indian River gave sailors cocoa as they traveled by. They would call out “cocoa, cocoa,” and the woman would give them the beverage.

The one thing that can be agreed on is the name was established in 1884.

Merritt Island

It’s believed Merritt Island was named by Pedro Marratt, a surveyor who charted the island in the early 1800s.

For awhile it was known as Marratt, but the city’s post office was commissioned as Merritt Island on June 1, 1935.

Satellite Beach

Satellie Beach is relatively a young city compared to some of its neighbors. It became a municipality in 1957 and got its name from a contest.

Local attorney A.T. Rossetter was credited with drawing up the charter for the city. His secretary. Evelyn Price won the name contest along with the price of $25.

Indialantic

Originally known as Indialantic-by-the-Sea, it dropped to just one word when it became incorporated in 1952. The name is a combination of the town’s location between the Indian River and the Atlantic Ocean.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: How Space Coast's Melbourne, other Brevard cities, got their names