'aminoketone' originates from combining 'amino' from the Greek 'ammonia' and 'ketone' from the German 'Keton', where 'amino' refers to the presence of an NH2 group and 'ketone' refers to a carbonyl group bonded to two hydrocarbon groups.

'Aminoketone' was formed by combining the terms 'amino' and 'ketone' in modern chemistry nomenclature.

Initially, it referred to any compound with both an amino and a ketone group, and this meaning has remained consistent.