It is claimed that the most ancient name of this district which is estimated to date back to before Christ as a small fishing village, is Hallai which is a distorted form of the word Skallai (docks), stated in various resources as Challae, Chilai, Khile as well. In Ottoman period the oldest information on Bebek and the roots of its name date back just before the conquest of Istanbul. During the invasion of Istanbul and the construction of Rumelian Hisar, it is thought that Byzantine rule in this region got weak and the fishing villages here were administered by Galata. Some sources, mainly Evliya Çelebi, say that Mehmet the Second (The Conqueror) assigned a quarter commander named or nicknamed Bebek Çelebi to this district to maintain security during the construction of Rumelian Hisar and the invasion, that Bebek Çelebi built a mansion and a garden in the district and the district was named after him following his death.

During the massive construction which destroyed the hills and woods of the Boshporus after 1965-1970, the green scenery of Bebek skirts completely disappeared; wooden and brick houses were destroyed and apartments were built in their place, Bebek was connected to uphill Etiler trough a sloping but a very hectic road. Küçükbebek part on the south is a more massive residence area compared to Büyükbebek on the north. There ar now few summer residences (yalı) left on the coast from Akıntıburnu to Aşiyan.