 The island was named in 1642 by Dutch explorer Abel Tasman after Maria van Diemen (née van Aelst), wife of Anthony van Diemen, the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies in Batavia.The island was known as "Maria's Isle" in the early 19th century.The strait between Maria Island and the east coast of mainland Tasmania is called Mercury Passage and was named after HMS "Mercury", commanded by John Henry Cox, who charted the area in 1789.