Mount Cammerer was named for Arno B. Cammerer, Director of the National Park Service (1933-1940) and an instrumental figure in establishing a national park in the Great Smoky Mountains. Before its renaming, Mt. Cammerer was known as White Rock, referring to the bright white rocks that burst through the treeline at the summit. On some North Carolina maps, Mt. Cammerer is called Sharptop. At least one story tells of a lightning blast that cut a hole in the summit, leaving a pool of water that attracted ravens.