Saidapet is named after Sayyid Shah (also known as Sayyid Khan), a high-ranking 18th-century official and army commander of the Nawab of Arcot. The area was gifted to him by the Nawab in 1730 and was originally called Sayyid Khan Pettah, with the suffix "pettah" or "pettai" historically denoting the land outside a fort.
Some historical accounts identify the namesake as Mohammed Sayyid, the last Mughal governor of the Carnatic, while others specify Sayyid Shah.
The term Pettah refers to the suburbs or market areas that developed outside the main walled cities of the time.
The neighborhood served as the administrative headquarters of the Chingleput district from 1859 to 1947 before being incorporated into Madras city in 1945-46.
