Al-Hibri said that the SWIP editorial board chose the name to reflect that women have "deep roots in philosophy". According to Linda López McAlister (USF), the idea for the name came from Sue Larson (Barnard) during a meeting of Eastern SWIP in 1973.
According to Al-Hibri, the name was chosen by the SWIP editorial board to represent women's deep involvement in philosophy. This notion is supported by Linda López McAlister (USF), who attributes the suggestion of the name to Sue Larson (Barnard) during an Eastern SWIP conference in 1973.