The land now known as Yeongam was called Wolla-gun under the kingdom of Baekje. In 757 (the 16th year of King Gyeongdeok's reign of Unified Silla), the king undertook a sweeping project to standardize place names across the country into Sino-Korean form, and in the course of this project, Wolla-gun was renamed Yeongam-gun — a name meaning "sacred rock." This name went on to serve as the region's primary designation for a long period afterward.
The name underwent one further twist and turn during the Goryeo dynasty. In 995 (the 14th year of King Seongjong's reign), the region was elevated to Nangju, and a regional administrative and military office called the Annam Dohobu was established there. Because a dohobu carried a rank one level higher than an ordinary county or district, this suggests that Nangju's standing during this period was considerable. But in 1018 (the ninth year of King Hyeonjong's reign), the Annam Dohobu was relocated to Jeonju, and having lost its government office, the region reverted to its earlier name, Yeongam-gun. This case, in which a region's name and status rose and fell along with the location of a government office, illustrates that a place name is not merely a label but can also carry the traces of political power.