The municipality (originally the parish) is named Østre Moland after the old Moland farm (). The prefix  (which means "eastern") was added to differentiate the place from Vestre Moland which was located a little further south along the coast of Norway.
The municipality's name, Østre Moland, originates from an old farm and is differentiated from Vestre Moland, located further south along the coast of Norway.