The maritime striped squirrel (Tamiops maritimus), also known as eastern striped squirrel, is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae, found in southern and eastern China (including Hainan), Taiwan, and Laos and Vietnam east of the Mekong River.

Rodentia is from Latin for rodens 'gnawing'.

Sciuridae: from Latin Sciurus which is from the Ancient Greek word σκίουρος (skiouros; from σκιᾱ́ ('shade') and οὐρᾱ́ ('tail')),referring to the long bushy tail which many of its members have.

The word squirrel comes from the Anglo-Norman esquirel which is from the Old French escureil, the reflex of a Latin word sciurus.

The name Tamiops is a combination of both Greek and Latin roots:
- Tamias is the genus name for American chipmunks. It refers to their habit of hoarding and storing away nuts, seeds, and food supplies in underground larder hoards, much like a thrifty storekeeper or steward.

- tamias: Ancient Greek (ταμίας - tamias), meaning: "Steward", "distributor", or "treasurer".

-ops: Ancient Greek (ὤψ - ōps), meaning: "Eye", "face", or "appearance/resemblance"; in scientific naming, the suffix -ops is used to denote that an animal looks like or resembles something else.

Tamiops literally translates to "having the appearance of a chipmunk" or "chipmunk-faced". This is highly accurate for the species, as Asian striped squirrels (Tamiops) look remarkably similar to Western chipmunks (Tamias) due to their small size and distinct dorsal stripes, despite belonging to a completely different evolutionary lineage of squirrels.

The word maritimus is an adjective derived from mare (Latin for sea) combined with the suffix -timus (which indicates a close association or superlative property). Therefore, maritimus literally means "pertaining to the sea," "near the sea," or "coastal."