There are many stories about how Siangshan received its name. One tells of a time when Cheng Cheng-kang ruled Taiwan and the aboriginal people who lived here never gave this place a consistent name. It was only after the Han people arrived that they called it "Siangshan" (or Fragrant Mountain) because they discovered many unknown flowers in bloom and enjoyed the sweet fragrances
that filled the air. In honor of the aboriginal people who lived here early on, the Han people originally called the region "Fan-Shan" but with the arrival of more Han migrants the name was soon changed to "Siangshan".

During the Japanese occupation, Siangshan was under the control of the Hsinchu Prefeture. The second and third districts were established on Feb.25, 1896. They combined to form the Siangshan District Hsinchu Prefecture on February 1, 1909. On October 1, 1920, the Hsinchu "Ting" became the Hsinchu "Jou" and Siangshan District became Siangshan Village. The Hsinchu country office was established in Nioupu. Due to urban expansion, Siangshan Village was incorporated into Hsinchu City on February 1, 1941.
After the Japanese occupation ended in 1945, Siangshan Village was listed as the eighth and the ninth Districts of the Hsinchu City on Oct.30, 1945. Until April 16, 1946 Siangshan was reorganized and called Siangshan District. In 1950 the Local Self-Government Law was passed by the Taiwan government. The administrative district of Siangshan became known as "Siangshan Shiang". In 1982, it was changed to Siangcshan District and once more included as a part of Hsinchu City. At that time the census office was called "The Second Household Registration Office of Hsinchu City Police Station", but was later changed to "Siang-shan District Household Registration Office(A division of the Hsinchu City government)" on March, 1997.