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Scholars have spun a number of theories in interpreting the word 'Karnataka'. One view is that the original name was 'Kannada' which referred to the land and not to a language or people, and that 'Karnata' was only its Sankritised form. Nripatunga (9th century) and Andayya (13th century) call this land 'Kannada'. Some Scholars, however, argue that the Sanskrit name 'Karnata' was of earlier origin, from which 'Kannada' evolved. This is an amusing theory based upon a story in the Skanda Purana, which says that the land is named after a demon called Karnata.

Yet another speculation is that it is because of the two tribes, namely Karna and Nat who flourished in the territory that the land came to be so known. Dr. Caldwell and Dr. Gundert have propounded the derivation Kar + Nadu = Karnadu, meaning the Black Country, which refers to the black soil of the Deccan Plateau. Prof. T. N. Srikantaiah too subscribed to this theory. Hattangadi Narayan Rao, on the other hand proposed ' Karu + Nadu', which suggested "an elevated land", as the major parts of Karnataka are situated in the Deccan Plateau, at an average elevation of 1500 feet above sea level. Manjeshwar Govind Pai preferred to interpret 'Karu-Nadu' as 'great or extensive land', with the same connotation as Maharashtra.

R. Narsimhacharya derived the word Kannada from Kam + Nadu or Kammitu + Nadu = Kannadu, meaning 'a fragrant or sweet smelling land', hinting at the fragrance of the sandalwood trees that abound the forests of Karnataka. S. B. Joshi has argued that Kannada is derived from “Kan + Nadu”. Kan refers to the Kanna race, which is the ancient stock of the later Kannada people. It is true that all these speculations and theories do not arrive at any final solutions. In fact, finality is not one of the virtues of history. After looking at the various theories, we should marvel how the words 'Karnataka' or 'Kannada' mean so much, to us all.