The mountain was named Wilcox Peak by J. Norman Collie in 1899 after Walter D. Wilcox, an early explorer of the Canadian Rockies who also made the first ascent of the peak in 1896. The mountain's Wilcox Peak name was officially adopted in 1924 by the Geographical Names Board of Canada. The Board changed it to Mount Wilcox in 1928, until ultimately reverting to Wilcox Peak in 1956.