'9,10-anthraquinone' originates from modern chemical nomenclature: it combines the locants '9,10' (to specify ring positions) with the term 'anthraquinone'. 'Anthraquinone' itself is formed from 'anthracene' + 'quinone'; 'anthracene' ultimately comes from Greek 'anthrax' meaning 'coal', and 'quinone' was coined in 19th-century chemistry from terms related to 'quinic/quinone' compounds.

'Anthraquinone' developed in 19th-century organic chemistry as chemists recognized a quinone derivative of anthracene; the explicit locant notation '9,10-' and systematic names like 'anthracene-9,10-dione' were standardized later under modern IUPAC conventions, yielding the current '9,10-anthraquinone'.

Initially the name described a quinone related to anthracene in a general sense; over time it was formalized to denote specifically the dione at positions 9 and 10 of anthracene, used as a defined compound in dyes and synthesis.