"Steller's sea eagle" has been designated the official name by the International Ornithologists' Union (IOC). It is named after the German naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller. It is also known as Steller's fish eagle, Pacific sea eagle or white-shouldered eagle. In Russian, the eagle has been called "morskoi orel" (sea eagle), "pestryi morskoi orel" (mottled sea eagle) or "beloplechii orlan" (white-shouldered eagle). In Japanese, it is called "ō-washi" (large eagle or great eagle). In Korean, the eagle is called "chamsuri" (true eagle).