'autocamping' originates from combining the prefix 'auto-' (from Greek 'autos', meaning 'self') and the word 'camping', which derives from 'camp' ultimately from Latin 'campus' meaning 'field'.

'camp' changed from Latin 'campus' to Old French 'camp' and then into Middle English as 'camp'; the prefix 'auto-' comes from Greek 'autos' and entered English via Latin and French; in the early-to-mid 20th century English formed the compound 'auto-camping' (later often written 'autocamping').

Initially it referred specifically to the practice of camping while traveling by automobile; over time the term kept that meaning and also came to denote campsites and facilities adapted for vehicles.