Cutts Island has also been known as "Crow Island," after the crows found in abundance on the island in 1792 by explorer Peter Puget, and "Scotts Island," after Thomas Scott, quartermaster of the 1841 Wilkes expedition. The belief that the island served as a burial ground for Native American tribes who placed their dead in canoes in the forks of trees gave birth to the name "Deadman's Island." The origin of the name "Cutts Island" is unknown.