It was charted by the American Captain Edmond Fanning on November 6, 1798, on the by the USS Betsy and is named for the captain, Edmond Fanning. At the time, the island was not populated.
As it is one of the closest islands to Hawaii, Fanning was possibly used as a stopover by people who eventually settled in Hawaii. Artifacts have been discovered which indicate early settlements by people from the Cook islands, and also Tonga.
The Island was claimed by the British in 1889, who blasted a channel into the lagoon. In 1916 the island joined the colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, gaining independence as part of the Republic of Kiribati in 1979.
Tabuaeran is a weekly port of call for NCL Cruise ships, and its major exports are copra and hand crafts (including cowrie shell, shark toot knives, and stamps). A supply ship from Austraila calls two or three times a year.
The island has a population of 1500, principally residents brought from the Gilbert Islands by Fanning Island Plantations, Ltd, to work in the copra industry .
Fish, taro, coconuts, pigs and seaweed (lemu) grown in lagoon are major food sources. The maximum elevation is 10 feet.
Tabuaeran hosts a cable station on the Trans-Pacific cable to Austraila. In 1914, the island was invaded by the Germans, and the station was blown up in the raid.