'Xiamen-related' originates from modern English, combining the place-name 'Xiamen' (from Mandarin 'Xiàmén' 厦门) and the adjective 'related'.

'Xiamen' itself comes from the Chinese characters '厦门' (Mandarin 'Xiàmén'); the city was historically referred to in English as 'Amoy', a form borrowed from the Hokkien (Southern Min) pronunciation 'Ē-mn̂g'. In the 20th century the pinyin romanization 'Xiamen' became standard in English.

Initially the parts were just the proper name for the city and the common adjective 'related'; when combined in modern English they literally mean 'having a connection to Xiamen'.