The name Arecibo comes from the Taíno chief Xamaica Arasibo, cacique of the yucayeque (Taíno settlement) of Abacoa where the Spanish town of Arecibo was settled in 1556. The word Arasibo itself most likely comes from the Taíno words ara, possibly meaning or related to "people", and siba, most likely meaning "rock" or "stone". This name also lends itself to the name of the river which flows through the municipality into the Atlantic Ocean.