'Architectonicidae' originates from New Latin, formed from the genus name 'Architectonica' plus the family suffix '-idae'. 'Architectonica' itself ultimately comes from Greek 'arkhitektonikos', where 'arkhi-' meant 'chief' and 'tekton' meant 'builder'.

'Architectonicidae' changed from the New Latin family formation based on the genus 'Architectonica', which derived from Latin/Medieval Latin forms of 'architectonic(us)' and ultimately from Greek 'arkhitektonikos', and eventually became the modern scientific family name 'Architectonicidae'.

Initially, the root meant 'relating to a chief builder or architect', but over time it evolved into a taxonomic name referring to a group of gastropods whose shell patterns suggested architectural likeness; today it denotes the biological family of sundial shells.