'angwantibo' originates from Efik/Ibibio (a Cross River language of Nigeria), specifically the word 'angwántíbo', where the term referred to the local name of the animal.

'angwántíbo' was adopted into English through 19th–20th century zoological descriptions and field reports and eventually became the modern English common name 'angwantibo'.

Initially, it meant the local name for this primate, and this meaning has remained essentially the same in modern English usage.