This pulled work stitch is a square stitch consisting of an even number of stitches radiating out from a central hole.  It can be worked individually or rows of square eyelet can be combined with other pulled work stitches to form a filling pattern.

For other pulled work eyelets, see round eyelet (pulled thread) and small round eyelet (pulled thread).

Square eyelets date from at least the 17th century as they feature on a whitework swaddling band currently held by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.  They also feature on several 19th century Turkish pieces currently held by the V&A, some of them using metal thread.

This stitch has similarities with Algerian eye stitch: the difference is in the number of stitches radiating from the centre and how much tension is used to open the centre of the stitch.