'England-lover' originates from English, specifically the words 'England' and 'lover', where 'England' comes from Old English 'Englaland' meaning 'land of the Angles' and 'lover' derives from Old English 'lufian' meaning 'to love'.

'England' changed from Old English 'Englaland' to Middle English forms such as 'Engelond' and eventually became the modern English word 'England'. 'Lover' developed from Old English 'lufian' through Middle English and became the modern noun 'lover'. The compound 'England-lover' is a straightforward modern English compound combining those elements.

Initially the elements meant 'land of the Angles' (England) and 'one who loves' (lover); combined in modern usage the compound simply denotes 'one who loves England' with little change from the original element meanings.