The fish's name comes from the Portuguese and Spanish bonito (there's no evidence of the origin of the name), identical to the adjective meaning 'pretty'.

However, the noun referring to the fish seems to come from the low and medieval Latin form boniton, a word with a strange structure and an obscure origin, related to the word byza, a possible borrowing from the Greek βῦζα, 'owl'.

[2][3][4] Pacific and Atlantic bonito meat has a firm texture and a darkish color, as well as a moderate fat content.

The meat of young or small bonito can be of light color, close to that of skipjack tuna, and is sometimes used as a cheap substitute for skipjack, especially for canning purposes, and occasionally in the production of cheap varieties of katsuobushi that are sold as bonito flakes.

The Atlantic bonito is also found in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, where it is a popular food fish, eaten grilled, pickled (lakerda), or baked.