Tenmu (天武) is his Chinese-style posthumous name, given by OMI no Mifune who also gave Chinese-style posthumous name to other emperors in Japan, meaning 'Heaven (天) sent King Wu (武) of Zhou and defeated the evil king (King Zhou).'
漢風諡号、天武天皇は代々の天皇とともに淡海三船により「天は武王を立てて悪しき王（紂王）を滅ぼした」から名付けられたとされる。