'Plantagenet' originates from Medieval Latin, specifically the phrase 'planta genista', where 'planta' meant 'sprig' or 'shoot' and 'genista' meant 'broom' (the shrub).

'Plantagenet' changed from the Medieval Latin/Old French nickname (Old French 'Plantegenest' or Medieval Latin 'planta genista')—a nickname said to refer to a sprig of broom worn by Geoffrey of Anjou—and eventually became the dynastic name 'Plantagenet' in English.

Initially, it meant 'sprig of broom' (a nickname), but over time it evolved into its current meaning as the name of the royal house and its members ('the Plantagenet dynasty').