'Amboyna' originates from Malay (the local island name 'Ambon'), adapted into Portuguese and Dutch as 'Amboina' / 'Amboyna' and then into English.

'Amboyna' passed into European languages via Portuguese 'Amboina' and Dutch 'Amboyna' (early modern maps and accounts), and the English form 'Amboyna' was used in historical and nautical contexts.

Initially it referred primarily to the island itself; over time the name was also applied in English to goods and events associated with the island (for example, amboyna wood and the Amboyna Massacre).