At first, the family named itself 'Ichijo (to avoid ambiguity),' but, when it became the family head, the family name was changed to the present one to avoid duplication with the Ichijo family.
当初は「一条家_(曖昧さ回避)」と名乗っていたが、一条実秋の代に一条家との重複を避けて現在の家名に改めたという。