'Antioch' originates from Ancient Greek, specifically the word 'Antiocheia' (Ἀντιόχεια), named for the Seleucid dynastic name 'Antiochus' (Ἀντίοχος).

'Antiocheia' entered Latin as 'Antiochia' and appears in medieval Latin and European languages; these forms evolved into the modern English name 'Antioch'.

Initially it meant 'the city of Antiochus' (a city founded or associated with a ruler named Antiochus); over time it came to denote specifically the major Hellenistic/Roman city on the Orontes and, by extension, other towns and institutions named after it.