Nemertes ("nuh MER teez") Research is named for the sea goddess Nemertes, one of fifty Nereides, sisters who lived with their sea-god father Nereus in the Agean sea. They rendered navigational assistance to sailors, and were particularly venerated in port towns.

Nemertes is often translated as "unerring". She is described as "with a mind like that of her immortal father", who was said to have prophetic abilities and have a trustworthy and irreproachable character.