It is named after Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey but is sometimes called the Unkapanı Bridge after the district on its western shore.

Originally named the Hayratiye Bridge, it was commissioned by the reformist Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II and supervised by Ahmed Fevzi Pasha, the Deputy Admiral of the Ottoman Fleet.

Sultan Mahmud II attended the opening of the bridge in 1836, crossing over it on his horse.

In 1875 the original bridge was replaced by a second model, made of iron and constructed by a French company for the price of 135,000 Ottoman gold liras.

In 2022 the Unkapanı access area was completely remodelled to allow the extension of the T5 tram from Alibeyköy to be extended from Cibali to Eminönü.