Because it was thought that FUJIWARA no Kusuko and her elder brother had taken leading roles in this incident, it has usually been referred to as the 'the Kusuko Incident.'
なお、この乱の名称について、かつては藤原薬子らが中心となって乱を起こしていたものと考えられて「薬子の変」という名称が一般的であった。