It was given its present name in 1950, in honor of the Ming Dynasty scholar Wang Yang-ming who was noted for his philosophy that knowledge and action are of equal importance.
今之陽明山公園，即是草創於彼時。台灣光復後，為紀念明代大儒王陽明先生，於民國三十九年三月，將草山改為陽明山，劃為特別區。