'Argiopidae' originates from New Latin, formed by the genus name 'Argiope' + the taxonomic suffix '-idae', where '-idae' denotes a family in zoological nomenclature.

'Argiopidae' was coined in modern zoological taxonomy (19th–20th centuries) by combining 'Argiope' with '-idae'; the name has appeared in older classifications but many later taxonomic revisions subsumed those taxa under 'Araneidae'.

Initially it meant 'the family containing Argiope and related genera'; over time the usage has declined in favor of placing those genera within the broader family Araneidae in many classifications.