The settlement was first known as ''Hamamlu'', meaning "bath"' in [[Turkish language|Turkish]], as the area had many baths. In 1948, it was renamedname ''Spitak'', meaning ''white'' in [[Armenian language|Armenian]] because of the presence of white limestone rocks in the area.<ref>John Everett-Heath, ''The Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names'', 2018, {{isbn|0192562436}}, ''s.v.''</ref><ref>John Brady Kiesling, ''Rediscovering Armenia: An Archaeological/touristic Gazetteer and Map Set for the Historical Monuments of Armenia'', 2001, {{isbn|9993052280}}, p. 43</ref> The word ''spitak'' itself derives from [[Middle Persian]] ''spēdag'' (compare [[Parthian language|Parthian]] ''ispēd'').<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | title = ARMENIA AND IRAN iv. Iranian influences in Armenian Language | last1 = Schmitt | first1 = R. | last2 = Bailey | first2= H. W. | authorlink1 = Rüdiger Schmitt | authorlink2 = Harold Walter Bailey | url = https://iranicaonline.org/articles/armenia-iv | editor-last = | editor-first = | editor-link = | encyclopedia = Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. II, Fasc. 4-5 | pages = 445–465 | location = | publisher = | origyear = 1986 | year = 2011 | isbn = }}</ref>
