'athapaskan' originates from English, specifically the place-name 'Athabasca', ultimately from the Cree word 'aðapaskāw' (often rendered 'athapaskāw'), where the Cree root meant 'where there are reeds' or 'grass here and there'.

'athapaskan' changed from the Cree word 'aðapaskāw' into the English place-name 'Athabasca', and English formed the demonym/adjective 'Athabaskan/Athapaskan' (and related terms) to refer to the people and languages of that region.

Initially it referred to 'of Athabasca' (the place/region), but over time it broadened to denote the family of related Indigenous peoples and the group of languages they speak.