'flamingo' originates from Spanish or Portuguese, specifically the word 'flamengo', where 'flamengo' originally meant 'Flemish' (a person from Flanders) and was also associated by some sources with Latin 'flamma' meaning 'flame' because of the bird's color.

'flamingo' changed from the Spanish/Portuguese word 'flamengo' (itself linked to Medieval Latin 'flamencus' meaning 'Flemish') and was borrowed into English in the late 16th century as 'flamingo'. Over time the form stabilized in modern English as 'flamingo'.

Initially connected either with the idea of 'Flemish' (from Flanders) or with 'flame' imagery, the term came to denote the specific long-legged pink wading birds and later also the bright pink color associated with their plumage.