'anserinae' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'Anser', where 'anser' meant 'goose' and the suffix '-inae' is a Neo-Latin zoological ending indicating a subfamily.

'anserinae' was formed in Modern (New) Latin for use in biological classification from the classical Latin 'Anser' plus the taxonomic suffix '-inae', and it became established as the name of the goose/swan subfamily in scientific literature (18th–19th centuries onward).

Initially it meant 'pertaining to geese' (from Latin), but it evolved into a technical term denoting the biological subfamily that includes geese and swans.