'arctiidae' originates from New Latin, formed from the genus name 'Arctia' plus the standard zoological family suffix '-idae'; 'Arctia' ultimately comes from Greek 'arktos' meaning 'bear' (referring to the 'woolly bear' caterpillars).

'arctiidae' was coined in scientific (New Latin) taxonomy based on the genus name 'Arctia' (introduced in Linnaean-era taxonomy); the genus name itself was derived from Greek and applied to these moths because of the hairy, 'bear-like' appearance of their caterpillars.

Originally the root referred to 'bear' in Greek; in entomological usage it came to denote a group of moths (the family derived from the genus name) rather than the animal 'bear'.