Named as Oldfield river by the settler Michael Simon Dempster in a letter written in 1866, the river is thought to have been named after Augustus Frederick Oldfield a plant collector who was active around the south coast of Western Australia.

The river was most likely named by Albert Young Hassell of Jerramungup who explored the area in 1861.

One theory is the river was named by the settler Michael Simon Dempster, in a letter written in 1866, after Augustus Frederick Oldfield, a plant collector who was active around the south coast of Western Australia.

Another is the river was most likely named by Albert Young Hassell of Jerramungup who explored the area in 1861.

However, in early 2022, a staff member at the National Herbarium of Victoria (MEL) catalogued a specimen of Hibbertia racemosa (Endl.)