Settlement of the area began in the mid-19th century. Originally called Johnson Station after local settler Jimmie Johnson, residents attempted to receive a post office designation under the same name. The postal authorities, however, suggested a shorter name be used. When the residents met to choose a name, one man argued for the name Nemo, which was Latin for "no one." He also said that if Johnson's name was not good enough, "then no one's was." In 1893, a post office branch under the name Nemo was established.
