'aplodontiidae' originates from New Latin, specifically the name 'Aplodontia' plus the suffix '-idae', where 'Aplodontia' itself comes from Greek elements 'haplous'/'aplous' meaning 'simple' and 'odont-' meaning 'tooth' (hence 'simple-toothed').

'aplodontiidae' changed from the genus name 'Aplodontia' in New Latin; the genus name was formed from Greek roots ('haplous' + 'odont-') and later, in zoological nomenclature, the family-forming suffix '-idae' was added to create the modern family name 'Aplodontiidae'.

Initially, the root referred to the dental characteristic 'simple-toothed'; over time it evolved into a taxonomic name referring to the family of rodents rather than a direct descriptive phrase.