The hill is called Uisneach in both Irish and English, with the alternative Irish name Cnoc Uisnigh meaning hill of Uisneach. It is also anglicized as 'Ushnagh', such as in the name of the townland. In Old and Middle Irish it was spelt Uisnech. Eric P. Hamp derives the name from Proto-Celtic *us-tin-ako- meaning place of the hearth or place of cinders. T. F. O'Rahilly derived it from *ostinako- meaning angular place.