Named in 1973 after President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The Lenape called the island Minnehanonck; the Dutch called it Varken Eylandt, Hog Island. It later took the name of its owner Robert Blackwell, and in 1921 the city renamed Blackwell's Island Welfare Island, hoping to improve its reputation. The Four Freedoms Foundation proposed honouring Franklin D. Roosevelt, and it became Roosevelt Island on 20 August 1973.