A town rooted in history and replete with natural resources, Zamboanguita derived its name from an incident involving a coguita (octopus).

Long before the Spaniards set foot in Negros Island, fishermen from as far as Mindanao would visit the yet unnamed town and benefit from the bounty of its rich fishing grounds – from its small tugnos (juvenile gobies) to the large iho (shark) in nearby Apo Island.

The leader of the Moro group then ordered one of his men to go to the beach, find a tree and “isab-ong ang coguita” (hang the octopus).” Since then, every time an octopus was caught, it was hung on that particular tree.

On the other hand, local stories that circulated among the town folks mentioned that Zamboanguita, with its Spanish diminutive of -ita, (meaning "little Zamboanga") acquired its name from its neighbor down south across the sea, Zamboanga City.

Poverty Incidence of Zamboanguita Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] It is part of the 3rd District of Negros Oriental.