Since Europeans first saw the mountain, probably on Samuel de Champlain's 1609 trip down Lake Champlain to the west, the mountain has had a number of names related to its distinctive shape. De Champlain named the mountain Le Lion Couchant, a heraldic image which roughly translates as The Resting Lion. Ira Allen later referred to the mountain as Camel's Rump on a map from 1798. It was not until 1830 that the name Camel's Hump came into usage.