The moon is named after the nymph Amalthea from Greek mythology who nursed the infant Zeus (the Greek equivalent of Jupiter) with goat's milk. Its Roman numeral designation is . The name "Amalthea" was not adopted by the IAU until 1975, although it had been in use for many decades. The name was suggested by Camille Flammarion. Before 1975, Amalthea was most commonly known simply as . The adjectival form of the name is "Amalthean".