Igama elisetshenziselwa ukubhekisela entabeni lonke libizwa ngokuthi "Kilimanjaro" ngesiFulentshi naseKilimanjaro ngesiNgisi.
Ibizwa futhi ngokuthi i-Ol Doinyo Oibor eMaa, noma “Intaba Emhlophe” noma “Intaba Ekhazimulayo”. Igama layo lamukelwa ngo-1860 futhi livela eSwahili Kilima Njaro. Ngokushesha i- “Kilimanjaro” yaba isihloko sezifundo ezingaziwa, uJohann Ludwig Krapf ebona kuyo “iNtaba yobukhazikhazi” ngaphandle kwencazelo eyengeziwe. Ngo-1884, uGustav Adolf Fischer ugcizelela ukuthi uNjaro uyidimoni lamakhaza, umqondo owathathwa nguHans Meyer ngesikhathi enyuka ngo-1889, kodwa uNjaro waziwa kuphela kubahlali basogwini hhayi kulabo abahlala maphakathi nezwe. , futhi ngaphezu kwalokho wayekholelwa kuphela emimoyeni yabasizi. UJoseph Thomson waba ngowokuqala ukucabanga, ngo-1885, ukuthi kusho “Intaba Ekhazimulayo”. Uma i-kilima enciphayo isho "igquma", "intaba encane", lo mbono awuchazi ukuthi kungani igama elithi mlima lingasetshenziswanga ukuqamba ngendlela engafanelekile "intaba" uma ingekho ngezizathu ezingokomzwelo noma ukuguqulwa. INjaro isho ubumhlophe, khanya ngesiSwahili. Ngaphezu kwalokho, ku-maa, i-ngaro noma i-ngare isho amanzi noma iziphethu. Kepha i-jaro futhi ingaqoka ikharavani ku-kichagga kanti enye inkolelo-mbono iphakamisa amagama athi kilmanare / kile ezandleniare, kilelemanjaare noma ngisho kileajao / kilemanyaro, okusho ukuthi ngokulandelana "ngubani onqoba inyoni" noma "ingwe" noma "ikharavani". Kodwa-ke, leli gama belingenziwa ukungeniswa kuze kube maphakathi nekhulu le-XNUMX phakathi kweWachagga, eyayivame ukuqamba zonke iziqongo ezaziwa yibo ngokwehlukana, okwenza le ncazelo ingabi nhlobo.