The system's distance from the Sun based on parallax measurements is approximately 165 light-years.

The system bore the traditional name Acamar, derived from the Arabic آخِر النَّهْر [citation needed] Ākhir an-nahr, which means "the end of the river", via a Roman-alphabet handwriting misread "rn" to "m".

The WGSN decided to attribute proper names to individual stars rather than entire multiple systems.

Achernar is not visible from the Greek isles (latitudes > 33° North),[19] hence the choice of Acamar as the river's end during the time of Hipparchus and, later, Ptolemy.

[20] Consequently, the Chinese name for Theta Eridani itself is 天園六 (Tiān Yuán liù, English: the Sixth Star of Celestial Orchard).