Brunia noduliflora coppices gave the plant the common name of stompie, a name shared with some Mimetes species. This name is deserved by the partly underground woody stumps or lignotubers that help the plant survive veld fires.

In bloom this plant has also been likened to ostrich chicks, and then called “volstruisies” in Afrikaans (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Manning, 2007; Leistner, (Ed.), 2000).