Sope Creek is named in honor of Old Sope, also known as Chief Sope, a Cherokee Indian who lived near the Chattahoochee River between Roswell and Marietta. He was popular with early settlers because he spoke English and would teach the kids Cherokee arts like flintnapping. When the Georgia Guard came to Marietta to round up nearby Indians for the Cherokee Trail of Tears in 1838, local citizens told the Georgia Guard to leave Old Sope alone. During the Civil War the Union Army referred to this as Soap Creek. Today, some people doubt the story of Old Sope, but there is ample evidence that Sope lived along this riverbank, both in Cherokee documents and local papers, however, a search of Cherokee documents did not reveal if Old Sope was a chief.