Early scientific names mostly used Latin or Greek descriptors, for example the type species "Maratus amabilis" (1878) refers to the friendly or pleasant "Maratus". "Maratus volans" (1874) means the flying "Maratus", reflecting the mistaken belief this species (and indeed the genus) could fly by means of its extended abdominal flap. We now know they cannot fly and the flap is used in courtship or (in at least one case) ritualised combat. "Maratus chrysomelas" refers to the golden yellow iridescence of the abdomen when viewed at some angles. In 1947 Dunn used the species name "pavonis" meaning peacock. Zabka and Waldock continued the tradition of using Latin and Greek in the 1980s and 1990s as did Otto & Hill from 2011 on, also using a patronym for Stuart Harris in the case of "Maratus harrisi". As Peacock Spiders became more popular, so did patronyms, with "Maratus purcellae" for its discoverer Otto & Hill 2013 and "Maratus proszynski" for Jerzy Prószyński Waldock 2015. Common names featured in news media gained traction, particularly with Sparklemuffin for "Maratus jactatus". In July 2016, Barbara Baehr and Robert Whyte from the Queensland Museum announced a newly discovered species to be named "Maratus licunxin" or "Maratus licunxini" after the artistic director of the Queensland Ballet, Li Cunxin and honoured Jürgen Otto with "Maratus ottoi", Michael Duncan and Michael Doe with "Maratus michaelorum", and Julianne Waldock with "Maratus julianneae".