Duliajan derived its name from "Dulia" meaning "palanquin-bearers" of the Ahom kings and "Jan" meaning "a river stream". The Ahom kings, also known as Swargadeos, were very fond of hunting in the Upper Dihing forests. The Swargadeos would come by boats from their capital of Gargaon and Rangpur (in Sivasagar district) down the Dikhow river to the mighty Brahmaputra, then row upstream, enter the Dihing river and halt at the mouth of the stream near Tipling-Ghat in present-day Duliajan. The stream was a guiding pathway for the palanquin bearers of the Swargadeos. Thus, when a new oil town was constructed in this area, to honour the palanquin bearers, it became a natural choice for the historical name of Duliajan.