Question: How did Topsail Island get its name?
Answer: Despite the popular legend that pirate ships hid behind the island with only their topsails visible from the sea, Topsail Island actually takes its name from New Topsail Inlet. That inlet’s name appears on early navigational charts, and after developer J.G. Anderson named the island’s southern end New Topsail Beach, the entire island became known as Topsail.
