eɪˈɑːkəz, ðə dʒˈɛnəs nˈeɪm, ɪz dᵻɹˈaɪvd fɹʌmðə jæmˈɑːnə wˈɜːd ˌeɪɐkˈɑːsi, wˌɪtʃ mˈeɪnz “dˈiːpsˈiː fˈɪʃ”, ɐn ɐlˈuːʒən tə ðə tˈaɪp loʊkˈælᵻɾi.
Aiakas, the genus name, is derived from the Yamana word aiakasi, which manes “deep-sea fish”, an allusion to the type locality.