Formerly, it had been popular under the name of "katsuobushi" which meant literally "shavings of dried bonito," but since the term was often used to include products of fish other than bonito, it became to be called "kezuribushi" (shavings of dried fish) in order to avoid misunderstanding caused by its name.
かつては、鰹節と呼び、広く流通していたが、かつお以外を原料とするものまで混じっていたことから、商品としての誤解を避けるため、「削り節」と呼ぶこととなった。