 Berland probably adapted the genus name "Rarahu" from Pierre Loti's book of the same name, which was published in 1880.Loti himself either used the rare Tahitian word "rarahu", meaning (amongst other things) "to eat "tapu" things", or changed the name of the volcano "Raraku".The species name is from Latin "nitida" "shining", "handsome", or "neat" (a false cognate).