'Arminian' originates from the Latinized name 'Arminius', which itself is the Latinized form of the Dutch name 'Harmenszoon' (meaning 'son of Harmen').

'Arminian' developed from the proper name 'Arminius' (the Latinized name of Jacobus Harmenszoon). The adjective and noun 'Arminian' arose to describe people and doctrines associated with Jacobus Arminius and his followers, eventually naming the broader theological movement 'Arminianism'.

Initially, it meant 'a follower of Jacobus Arminius' (or 'of Arminius'), and over time it broadened to mean 'relating to or characteristic of Arminianism', the theological position contrasting certain forms of predestinarian Calvinism.