Desroches was named by Chevalier
de Roslan, commander of the ship L'Heure
du Berger, after the Chevalier des Roches, the Governor of Isle de
France (now Mauritius) and Réunion (then Bourbon) from 1767 to 1772. It was
explored by the Chevalier de la Billioère in 1771. The British had originally
named it Wood Island because of its dense tree vegetation. The island was an
important producer of copra.
Along with the
remaining Amirante Islands, Desroches
