The original Nama settlement was situated at Bijzondermeid 5km south of present day Steinkopf. In 1818 a Rhenish Mission Station was established and in 1821 the mission was moved to current Steinkopf (then known as Kookfontein) due to a perennial spring that is still flowing today.
Rev Brecher later renamed the town Steinkopf in honour of the German minister in London. Today Steinkopf serves a large communal stock farming area and many inhabitants work on the outlying mines in Namaqualand.
