'arctomys' originates from Ancient Greek, specifically the elements 'arktos' and 'mys', where 'arktos' meant 'bear' and 'mys' meant 'mouse'.

'arctomys' was formed as a Neo-Latin scientific name (Arctomys) based on Greek roots and was used in 18th–19th century zoological classification; many species once placed in Arctomys were later reassigned to the modern genus Marmota.

Initially a literal compound meaning 'bear-mouse' (a descriptive name), it came to be used as a scientific genus name for marmots and related rodents; that usage is now largely obsolete, replaced by current genus names.