The name Cuauhtemōc means "one who has descended like an eagle", and is commonly rendered in English as "Descending Eagle", as in the moment when an eagle folds its wings and plummets down to strike its prey; the name thus implies aggressiveness and determination.

Cuauhtémoc took power in 1520 as sucessor of Cuitláhuac and was a cousin of the late emperor Moctezuma II. (cuauhtli means eagle; temoc, declining, wich can also be interpreted as "setting sun".)