'Arverni' originates from Gaulish (a Continental Celtic language), specifically the word 'Aruernī', where the prefix 'are-' likely meant 'above, in front' and the element '-uern-/ -vern-' is associated with heights or wooded/high places (hence the connection to the mountainous region later called Auvergne).

'Arverni' appears in Latin as the tribal name 'Arverni' (plural); this ethnonym influenced medieval/Old French forms (e.g. 'Auverne') and later the modern French place-name 'Auvergne', while classical texts continued to refer to the tribe as 'Arverni'.

Initially, the name designated the people of a high/wooded region (the local tribal community); over time it has come to be used primarily as the historical name of that Gallic tribe and as the root of the regional name 'Auvergne'.