'Arecales' originates from New Latin, formed from the genus name 'Areca' plus the botanical order suffix '-ales'.

'Areca' was Latinized from local Asian names for the betel-nut palm; it became the genus name 'Areca' in botanical Latin, led to the family name 'Arecaceae', and the order name 'Arecales' in modern botanical classification.

Initially associated specifically with the genus 'Areca' (the betel-nut palm), the term evolved in modern taxonomy to denote the broader order that includes palms in general.