'asklepios' originates from Ancient Greek, specifically the word 'Ἀσκληπιός' (Asklēpiós); the precise roots are uncertain and may be pre-Greek in origin.

'asklepios' was adopted into Latin as 'Aesculapius' (or later as 'Asclepius') and entered Medieval and Modern English as 'Asclepius' (with variant spelling 'Aesculapius'), keeping its association with medicine.

Initially, it referred specifically to the deity 'Asclepius'; over time the name also came to denote associated symbols (for example, the rod of Asclepius) and a general emblem of medicine and healing.