'Antenor' originates from Ancient Greek, specifically the word 'Ἀντήνωρ' (Antenōr); the name appears in Homeric and later Greek sources as a proper name.

'Antenor' passed into Latin texts as 'Antenor' and was transmitted into medieval and modern European languages through classical and medieval retellings of Trojan myths, remaining essentially unchanged as a proper name.

Initially it referred specifically to the Trojan elder in Ancient Greek sources; over time it has remained a proper name (used for that mythological figure and occasionally as a personal or family name) with no major semantic shift.