Depending on the region of its occurrence, "Pithecellobium dulce" is known by different names. In its native Mexico, the tree is known as "huamuche", "guamuche", "huamúchil", "guamúchil", or "cuamúchil", deriving from its Nahuatl name "cuauhmochitl". The Nahuatl derivations are also preserved in its names in the Philippines, where it was first introduced into Asia via the Manila galleons. It is known as "kamachile" in Tagalog (from where the English name "camachile" is derived), "kamunsil" in Hiligaynon, and "damortis" or "kamantiris" (Ilokano).