[1] The settlement name originates from the Old Norse þveit, meaning 'small parcel of land'.

[2] The Norse word commonly produces in England the place name element Thwaite.

[3][4] The name Twatt is similar to the common English expletive twat, a vulgar word for vulva and also an insulting term meaning a weak or contemptible individual.

For this reason, Twatt remains a source of amusement to people from outside the parish.

4 of the most vulgar sounding names in Rude Britain, along with its Orkney namesake.