'Aten' originates from Ancient Egyptian, specifically the word 'jtn' (transliterated as 'ỉtn' or 'ytn'), where the root referred to the 'disk' (the sun disk).

'Aten' changed from the Ancient Egyptian word 'jtn' and was rendered in Late Egyptian and then recorded in Greek and Latin sources as 'Aten', eventually entering modern English usage as 'Aten'.

Initially it meant 'the sun disk' (a physical disk representing the sun); over time it became personified as a deity and is now used primarily to refer to that sun-god or the religious system associated with him.