The confusion over the spelling and pronunciation of the name of this well-known Mecklenburg County creek is due to the difficulty of translating the sound of an unwritten Indian word into written English.
 
This creek undoubtedly takes its name from the Sugeree Indians (John Lawson's spelling) or Sugaree Indians (Douglas L. Rights' spelling). The name was pronounced Sugaw or Soogaw, according to William Henry Foote.
 
The predominant version in records of the Presbyterian Church, Colonial Records of North Carolina, and in old deeds is "Sugar," although such variations as "Suger," "Shugar," "Sugercreek," and "Suga," have been found in various records.
 
In 1924 the Pastor of Sugar Creek Presbyterian Church, evidently influenced by Foote's pronunciation, had the Mecklenburg Presbytery officially change the spelling of the name of the church to "Sugaw." This action seems never to have been rescinded, notwithstanding that all historical evidence available tends to prove that the original name of "Sugar" should apply to both church and creek. The Indian word from which Sugar is derived means "group of huts."