'artinite' originates from modern mineralogical naming practice: it combines a honoree's surname (recorded in early descriptions as 'Artin' or similar personal name) with the mineral-forming suffix '-ite' (from Greek-derived usage), where '-ite' meant 'connected with' and became a standard suffix for mineral names.

'artinite' was coined in the 19th century as a mineral name formed by attaching the suffix '-ite' to an honoree's name; the term entered chemical and mineralogical literature with this spelling and sense and has remained stable as the mineral name 'artinite'.

Initially used specifically to name this particular magnesium carbonate hydrate, its meaning has remained essentially the same: the proper name of that mineral species.