The name "Unicoi" comes from the Cherokee word ᎤᏁᎦ ("unega)," which means "white." It refers to the low-lying clouds and fog that often drape the Southern Appalachian mountains in the early morning or on humid or moist days. The name "Unaka"— which historically refers to the mountains along the Tennessee–North Carolina border— has the same Cherokee root as "Unicoi." There it is said to be associated with the white of the long chestnut blooms that were prevalent in spring in the mountains, before the Chestnut Blight.