'Apache' originates from Spanish, specifically the word 'Apaches', ultimately taken from a Native American language word recorded as 'apachu' (or similar forms) meaning 'enemy' or 'people of the enemy'.

'Apache' entered Spanish usage from indigenous languages of the Southwest (recorded by Spanish speakers as 'Apaches'), was adopted into English in the late 17th to 18th century as 'Apache', and later the name was applied to other things (for example the AH-64 helicopter and the Apache HTTP Server).

Initially, it referred (from the perspective of Spanish speakers) to an 'enemy' or distinct group; over time it became the accepted ethnonym for the people themselves and then a proper name used for various technologies and vehicles.