Historians believe that the name Folegandros derived from the son of Minos, the former king of Crete. The claim of historians is supported by the discovery of ancient coins issued by the local municipality revealing the image of Folegandros stamped on the coins. The island of Folegandros served as an asylum for those who were banished from the island of Crete. There is another school of thought regarding the name of the island, believing that the name Folegrandos is derived from a Phoenecian word meaning a rock-strewn land, which is exactly what the island is.
The history of Folegandros starts in the Prehistoric times. The Cares from Asia Minor were the first inhabitants of the island. Then came the Cretans who ruled the island with emperor Folegandros at the helm. After the Cretans, it was the turn of the Dorians to follow. Archaeologists have found evidence of this by way of inscriptions that were unearthed from here. This is perhaps one of the principal reasons why Folegandros did not take part in the 1st Athenian Alliance which was held way back in 478 B.C.