'apogonidae' originates from Modern Latin (scientific nomenclature), specifically from the genus name 'Apogon' combined with the family-forming suffix '-idae'; the genus name 'Apogon' itself derives from Ancient Greek elements where 'a-' meant 'without' and 'pōgōn' (πώγων) meant 'beard'.

'Apogonidae' was formed by attaching the New Latin family suffix '-idae' to the genus name 'Apogon' (coined in Modern Latin taxonomy). 'Apogon' traces back to Ancient Greek 'apōgōn'/'apogon' (a- + pōgōn), and the modern taxonomic family name developed through Linnaean/19th-century conventions for zoological classification.

Initially the root referred to the Greek sense 'without beard' (used to describe a feature of the genus Apogon); over time it became the standardized scientific family name referring broadly to the group of fishes (the family Apogonidae).