'Ancylostoma' originates from New Latin, ultimately from Greek elements: 'ankylos' (ἀγκύλος) meaning 'bent, curved' and 'stoma' (στόμα) meaning 'mouth'.

'Ancylostoma' was coined in New Latin using Greek roots in 19th-century scientific nomenclature to name the genus of hookworms; it entered modern zoological usage and taxonomy unchanged as the genus name.

Initially it literally meant 'curved mouth' (describing the worm's mouthparts); over time it became the formal scientific name used to denote the genus of hookworms rather than a descriptive phrase.