'Lockeist' originates from English, specifically the proper name 'Locke' (from the philosopher John Locke) combined with the agentive suffix '-ist', which was borrowed into English via Latin/French and ultimately from Greek; the suffix '-ist' meant 'one who practices or is concerned with'.

'Lockeist' was formed by analogy with other formations like 'Marxist' or 'Hobbesian' by attaching '-ist' to the name 'Locke' in modern English to denote an adherent or proponent of Locke's thought.

Initially it meant 'a person who follows or advocates the ideas of John Locke,' and that specific meaning has largely been retained; usage remains specialized and descriptive.