'anthroponymist' originates from Greek, specifically the elements 'anthropos' and 'onoma', where 'anthropos' meant 'human' and 'onoma' meant 'name', combined in English with the agentive suffix '-ist'.

'anthroponymist' changed from the formation 'anthroponym' (from Greek elements via New/Modern Latin and English formation) plus the English agentive suffix '-ist', and eventually became the modern English noun 'anthroponymist'.

Initially the components referred to 'human' + 'name'; over time the compound came to denote specifically the study of personal names and, with the suffix '-ist', a person who studies them—its modern meaning as 'a specialist in personal names' is a direct development of these parts.