 The name Tarkastad is believed to come from the Khoi-Khoi word "Traka" (meaning women) or the Celtic word "Tarka" (meaning otter) and the Afrikaans word "Stad" (meaning city).The fact that the town is overlooked by Martha and Mary; two peaks which look like two women resting after a hard day's work, also lends to the name.The first people to occupy the area around Tarkastad were the San who left an abundance of rock art paintings in Grootvlei just north of the town.