The 1 km (0.62 mi) Île Bigras was named in 1817 as Île Amesse, after the name of its owner, Louis Amesse (other more recent maps have also shown the names Île Boiret and Île Boisvert). The island was bought in 1890 by Émilien Bigras, who gave it his name. He was also the owner of the three other islands of the archipelago: Île Pariseau, Île Verte and Île Ronde.