It was Catesby who gave the species its common name, with "Downy" a reference to the soft white feathers of the white stripe on the lower back, in contrast to the similar, but more hairlike feathers on the lower back of the Hairy Woodpecker.

They get their common name from their habit of jamming large nuts and acorns into tree bark, then whacking them with their sharp bill to “hatch” out the seed from the inside. White-breasted Nuthatches may be small but their voices are loud, and often their insistent nasal yammering will lead you right to them.