Oia was previously known as Apano Meria (Απάνω Μεριά or Επάνω Μεριά, "upper side"), a name which still occurs locally as Pano Meria, and the inhabitants are still called Apanomerites (Απανωμερίτες).
Oia sebelumnya dikenal dengan nama Apano Meria (Απάνω Μεριά atau Επάνω Μεριά, "sisi atas"), dan warganya masih disebut Apanomerites (Απανωμερίτες).