'aulostomid' originates from New Latin 'Aulostomus' (the genus name) and ultimately from Greek 'aulos' meaning 'pipe' and 'stoma' meaning 'mouth', with the suffix '-id' indicating 'belonging to' or 'member of a group'.

'aulostomid' developed from the scientific genus name 'Aulostomus' (New Latin); the family name 'Aulostomidae' was formed for related species, and English formed the noun/adjective 'aulostomid' to denote a member of that family.

Initially the components literally described a 'pipe-mouth' (a morphological description); over time the term has come to be used taxonomically to mean 'a member of the family Aulostomidae (trumpetfishes)'.