'anatinacea' originates from New Latin, specifically the word 'Anatina', where 'anat-' referred to 'duck' (from Latin 'anas') and '-acea' is a standard taxonomic suffix for superfamilies.

'anatinacea' was formed in modern scientific Latin as a superfamily name, based on the genus 'Anatina', and became the modern English taxonomic term 'anatinacea'.

Initially, it referred specifically to a group of freshwater mussels, and this meaning has remained consistent in scientific usage.