'archeologian' originates from Greek and Latinized forms of the word 'archaeology', specifically from Greek 'arkhaîologia' (Latinized as 'archaeologia'), where 'arkhaîos' meant 'ancient' and 'logia' (from 'logos') meant 'study' or 'discourse'.

'archeologian' changed from the Greek/Late Latin term 'archaeologia' through Medieval and Renaissance scholarly Latin and later English formations (such as 'archaeology' and 'archaeologist'), and the -ian suffix produced variant nouns like 'archeologian' (an older or rarer variant of 'archaeologist').

Initially it referred broadly to the study or discourse about ancient things; over time it came to denote specifically a specialist who investigates human history through material remains (what we now call an 'archaeologist').