Varxun is a conflation of the following two terms:

• Avar: from Mongolic *ɑb- “to take;” hence, Turkic *ɑpɑr “to take, steal, confiscate.” Alternatively, their name may be tied to the Iranic Äpärni or Pärni, the ancestors of the Parthians.

• Xun: a derivative of Hoŋa.