'asclepiadaceae' originates from New Latin, specifically from the generic name 'Asclepias' (from Greek 'Asklēpiós') combined with the botanical suffix '-aceae' meaning 'family'.

'Asclepias' was named after the Greek god 'Asclepius' (Asklēpiós); in New Latin the suffix '-aceae' was added to form family names, producing 'Asclepiadaceae' as the name for the family containing Asclepias and related genera. Later taxonomic and molecular studies led to many genera being placed in Apocynaceae as the subfamily 'Asclepiadoideae'.

Initially it meant 'the plant family containing the genus Asclepias and its relatives'; over time, taxonomic revision has altered its circumscription and it is now often treated as the subfamily 'Asclepiadoideae' within 'Apocynaceae'.