'arawakan' originates from the ethnonym 'Arawak', ultimately from the Taíno (an Arawakan language) self-name 'Arawak' used for certain indigenous peoples of the Caribbean and northern South America; the English adjectival/collective suffix '-an' was added to form 'arawakan'.

'arawakan' developed from the name 'Arawak' as used in Spanish and Portuguese sources (e.g. 'Aruaco', 'Arahuaco'), then entered English as 'Arawak', with the suffix '-an' creating the adjective or family name 'Arawakan'.

Initially it referred specifically to the people called 'Arawak' (or closely related groups); over time it broadened to refer to the wider Arawakan language family and anything relating to those peoples or languages.