Het woord "walvis" komt van [[Proto-Germaans]] ''*hwalaz'', van [[Proto-Indo-Europees]] ''*(s)kwal-o-'', wat betekent "grote zeevis" betekent.<ref name=etymonline>{{cite web|title=whale {{!}} Origin and meaning of whale by Online Etymology Dictionary |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/whale|website=www.etymonline.com |accessdate=18 March 2018|language=en}}</ref><ref name=asd>{{cite web |title=hwæl |work=Bosworth-Toller Anglo-Saxon Dictionary |url=http://bosworth.ff.cuni.cz/020037 |accessdate=6 June 2019 }}</ref>
