Named after the bay, which was named after the sheepshead fish.
The neighbourhood takes its name from a bay that separates mainland Brooklyn from the eastern part of Coney Island. The bay was named for the sheepshead, an edible fish found in its waters. The fish probably got its own name from sheep-like features, such as large teeth protruding from an open mouth. Sheepshead Bay began as a secluded fishing and farming community, an extension of the town of Gravesend.