 The name Myalup is a local Aboriginal name for a nearby swamp (the word "mya" meaning the bark of a paperbark, which abound in the area).Prior to European settlement, the Noongar Ganeang people wandered around the eastern shores of Lake Josephine, east of the town.The name was first recorded by Lieutenant Bunbury in 1836 as Miellup, then by a surveyor in 1849 as Myerlup.