The word Washtenaw is a variant of the Ojibwe word: "Wash-ten-ong," the Ojibwe name for what is now called the "Grand River".
The name "Washtenaw" was originally applied to the first county west of Detroit, and has since been applied to:
- Washtenaw County, Michigan
- Washtenaw Avenue, a road in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Ypsilanti, Michigan, Harper Woods, Michigan, and Chicago, Illinois
- Washtenaw Community College, a community college in Ann Arbor, Michigan