Stokes Hill was named after the commander of HMS Beagle John Lort Stokes, who visited and named Darwin after his friend Charles Darwin in 1839.
Larrakia were the first people to live in this area and know 'Stokes Hill' to have within it a Larrakia spiritual ancestor. This ancestor is known as "Chinute Chinute' and manifest itself from time to time as the Tawny Frog-mouthed Owl.