'anthropogenicist' originates from Greek elements and English suffixes: the prefix 'anthropo-' from Greek 'anthropos' meaning 'human', the root 'genic' from Greek 'genēs'/'genein' meaning 'producing' or 'originating', and the agentive suffix '-ist' from Greek 'istēs' via Latin/French meaning 'one who practices or is concerned with'.

'anthropogenic' entered English in the 20th century from Greek roots to mean 'originating in human activity'; the noun-forming suffix '-ist' was later attached to form 'anthropogenicist', meaning a person who endorses or studies anthropogenic causes.

Initially the components meant 'human-originating' (anthropo- + -genic), and over time the compound 'anthropogenic' came to mean 'resulting from human activity'; 'anthropogenicist' evolved to denote a person who attributes causes or studies effects to human activity.