How did ants get their name?

Answer 1

Ant comes from the Old English word æmette, which comes from the Western Germanic word amaitjo, which is derived from a compound of bases including ai- "off, away" + *mait- "cut," or which may mean something like "it that cuts off," or, "the biter." Emmet, a synonym for 'ant' which survived into the 20th century, is closer to the Old English term. Perhaps in usage it was reduced to one syllable - emmt -which lends itself more closely to ant. (from the Oxford English Dicstionary)

Answer 2

The word "ant" comes from Middle English "ampte," which in turn comes from Old English "ӕmette." This likely originated from a prehistoric word that was imitative of the sound ants make when they communicate by stridulating.