The genus is named after the island Nuku Hiva on the Marquesas Islands. The describer, Lucien Berland, named several genera after islands in the Pacific Ocean during the 1930s. Other names derived from islands in the Marquesas are Uapou and Uahuka.
References
^ Nishida, G.M. (2006). French Polynesia Spider Checklist (Preliminary) 2006 November 17 Checklist in .doc format