The name "Terlingua" actually applies to a mining district, and there were three different settlements located in southwestern Brewster County Texas. The name derives from two Spanish words, tres and lenguas, meaning "three tongues," called such for one of two reasons. Still debated today, some say "three tongues" refer to the three languages spoken in the area long ago – English, Spanish, and Native American. The second reason refers to the three forks of Terlingua Creek.