'alsike' originates from Swedish, specifically the word 'alsikeklöver', where 'alsike' refers to a place in Sweden and 'klöver' means 'clover'.

'alsikeklöver' was adopted into English as 'alsike', maintaining its reference to the plant species.

Initially, it referred specifically to the clover from Alsike, Sweden, but now it generally refers to the species Trifolium hybridum.