Named after Heiligensee, the village by the lake of the same name.
The old village lies on a peninsula between the Havel and the lake that gave it its name. It was first recorded in 1308 as Hyelegense; the land book of Charles IV of 1375 has spellings such as Heyligense and Hilgensey. The station opened to passengers in 1897 and is the last one in Berlin on the way out of the city.