Taranaki is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont

Mount Taranaki or Mount Egmont, the second highest peak in the North Island, is the dominant geographical feature of the region. A Māori legend says that Taranaki previously lived with the Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu mountains of the central North Island but fled to its current location after a battle with Tongariro