Some believe the town was named in honor of the birthplace of Oliver Cromwell, born 25 April 1599 in Huntingdon, Kingdom of England, who was Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland 1653–1658. From that initial settlement, Huntington grew over subsequent years to include all of the land presently comprising the modern Towns of Huntington and Babylon. The southern part of the town was formally separated to create Babylon in 1872.