The peak was named in English by county surveyor George J. Roskruge for his sister, Phillippa, who was the wife of William F. Kitt.

On his 1893 Pima County Survey map, Roskruge spelled the name 'Kits'.

At the request of the wife of George F. Kitt, the spelling was changed by decision in 1930.

Near the summit is I'itoi's Garden, which the nation's lore holds summer residence of its elder brother deity.

The name Ioligam means "red stick" in reference to the abundance of manzanita bushes on and around the mountain.