We are on the Outer Banks right now and it is just beautiful; last week I was worried we'd have to cancel our vacation, but was glad I had that travel insurance! We went to Ocracoke a few yrs. ago when we were here, I can't imagine waiting for the ferry when everyone was evacuating!
Maybe the name is an Indian name? I found a little more history about it here: http://www.ocracokeguide.com/history/, I copied a paragraph and pasted below:
Ocracoke Island history is rich and interesting and dates back centuries prior to the change and tourism of recent times.
A common Ocracoke history question from first-time visitors is “How do you pronounce the name of this place?” It seems people have been asking that for years. The earliest record of Ocracoke Island’s name, on a map made by English explorer John White in 1585, designates the inlet as “Wokokon.” Subsequent spellings include “Woccocock,” “Oakacock” and “Okercock.” The name derives from the Woccon tribe of Native Americans, who lived in the mainland tidewater and came to the island for seafood feasts in fair weather. The inlet, the island and the village now all carry the name Ocracoke, which, incidentally, is pronounced like the vegetable and the soft drink.