Scientific name of Aye-Aye

The history of the name (etymology) is not known precisely. The name sounds similar to "heh heh", a way of saying "I don't know" in the native tongue (Malagasy). Because the aye-aye is often feared as a bad omen or evil spirit, the local people avoid naming the animal directly.

Sonnerat (in 1782) claimed that the name came from a "cry of exclamation and astonishment" from the local guides. However, the aye-aye (locally: "hai hai" or "hay hay") is known by this name across the island, and it is unlikely that the local people adopted a name given by a European.

Some lemur names in Madagascar derive from vocalizations made by the animal, but this is not the case with the aye-aye.