澳洲的英文“Australia”源於拉丁文“{{lang|la|australis}}”，意為[[南方]]。 20世紀初，口語化的稱呼“Oz”開始流行<ref>{{cite web |author=Share on FacebookShare on Twitter |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/Why-is -Australia-called-Oz/articleshow/2116820.cms |title=Why is Australia called Oz? |publisher=Timesofindia.indiatimes.com |date=2006-10-08 |accessdate=2017-05-24 }}{{Dead link|date=2018年6月 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}</ref> 。 “Aussie”亦同樣成為[[澳洲人]]的口語化稱呼<ref name=going>{{cite news |last=Ihaka |first=James |title=Going to Aussie? Think agai |url = http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10745190 |accessdate=2013-05-14 |newspaper=The New Zealand Herald |date=2013-08-15}}</ref><ref name=mac5>{{cite book |title=Macquarie Dictionary 5th Edition|publisher=Macmillan Publishers Australia |ISBN = 9781876429669|date=2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Business |url=http://www.smh.com.au/business/cmon-aussie-cricket-anthem-reprised-to-get-bums-on-seats-20091126-jum2.html#ixzz2pZNyvOwR |title=C'mon Aussie: cricket anthem reprised to get bums on seats |publisher=Smh.com.au |date=2009-11-27 |accessdate=2017-05-24}}</ref><ref name=kennett>{{cite news |last=Kennett|first=Jeff |title=C'mon Aussie, let's grow up |url = http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/cmon-aussie-lets-grow-up/story-e6frfhqf-1226185129838|accessdate=2014-02-22 |newspaper=Herald Sun |date=2011-11-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://southaussiewithcosi.com.au/ |title=South Australia's only Travel Show |publisher=South Aussie With Cosi |date= |accessdate=2017-05-24}}</ref><ref name="hell_aint">{{cite book|title=AC DC: Hell Aint a Bad Place to Be|last=Wall|first=Mick|date=2012|publisher=Orion Publishing group|year=|isbn=|location=London|pages=|ISBN=978-1-4091-1535-9}}</ref> 。早在[[古羅馬]]，“{{lang|la|Terra Australis Incognita}}（未知的南方大陸）”的假想開始出現<ref name="Wilford">John Noble Wilford: The Mapmakers, the Story of the Great Pioneers in Cartography from Antiquity to Space Age, p. 139, Vintage Books, Random House 1982, ISBN 978-0-394-75303-4</ref>，並常在[[中世紀]]被歐洲地理學家使用。在澳大利亞大陸被西方世界發現後，此名稱便順理成章地成為這片新大陸的名字。 <ref>Ambrosius Aurelius Theodosius Macrobius, [http://dx.doi.org/10.7891/e-manuscripta-16478 ''Zonenkarte'']. Retrieved 7 July 2014.</ref>