 The asteroid was first observed as () at the Simeiz Observatory on 28 October 1913, and three nights later at Heidelberg Observatory as well.The body's observation arc begins at Heidelberg on 6 December 1918, or five weeks after its official discovery observation.This minor planet was named after John D. Rockefeller (1839–1937), an American philanthropist and oilman who founded the Rockefeller Foundation.