'archaeologist' originates from Greek via Latin and French, specifically from the Greek elements 'arkhaios' and 'logia', where 'arkhaios' meant 'ancient' and 'logia' meant 'study' or 'discourse'.

'archaeologist' changed from the Greek word 'arkhaiologia' to the Latin 'archaeologia', entered Middle English as 'archaeologie', and the agent noun 'archaeologist' was formed in the 19th century from 'archaeology' + '-ist'.

Initially it referred to the 'study of ancient things' (archaeology); over time the related agent term came to mean 'a person who studies human history and prehistory through material remains'.