The amusement park was first called Tivoli & Vauxhall; Tivoli alluding to the Jardin de Tivoli in Paris (which in its turn had been named after Tivoli near Rome, Italy), and Vauxhall alluding to Vauxhall Gardens in London.

The name "Tivoli," which has become a global synonym for lush pleasure gardens and amusement parks, originates from the ancient Italian town of Tivoli, located just east of Rome. In antiquity, the town was a prestigious summer retreat for the Roman elite, most notably Emperor Hadrian, who built the sprawling Villa Adriana there. During the Renaissance, the town gained further fame for the Villa d'Este, a palace featuring one of the most spectacular water gardens in Europe, powered entirely by gravity. Because these gardens represented the peak of architectural beauty, water features, and playful entertainment, the name "Tivoli" was exported during the 18th and 19th centuries by European aristocrats on the "Grand Tour." When the famous Tivoli Gardens opened in Copenhagen in 1843, the name was chosen specifically to evoke this Italian ideal of a romantic, joyful, and lush landscape. Today, the name persists in everything from football stadiums in Germany to housing complexes in Jamaica, serving as a linguistic "promise" of entertainment and beauty.