Guéthary has existed as a small fishing village since the early 12th century. It became famous for hunting whales in the 13th century. Actually, the linguist Henri Gavel put down the name of the town to the Gascon word getari, 'post for watching' (the whales), while this assumption has been disputed by current linguists, who trace the name back to latincaetaria, 'fish processing facility', supported by archaeological evidence unearthed both in Guéthary and the same name Getaria from Gipuzkoa.
