In the late 1800's, Kerman was originally called "Collis" in honor of Southern Pacific Railroad president Collis P. Huntington. The Southern Pacific Railroad line was built through Kerman in 1891. The name changed to Kerman in 1906 when two Los Angels capitalists, William G. Kerckhoff and Jacob Mansar, purchased a large tract of land from the insolvent Bank of California. As water supply and electrical power were brought to the area, the town quickly grew, and Kerman was incorporated as a city in 1946.