'autocephaly' originates from Greek and Late Latin, specifically the Greek elements 'autos' and 'kephalē' (via Late Latin 'autocephalia'), where 'auto-' meant 'self' and 'kephalē' meant 'head'.

'autocephaly' changed from the Greek compound 'autokephalos' to Late Latin 'autocephalia' (ecclesiastical Latin usage) and eventually became the modern English word 'autocephaly' through Church and theological writings.

Initially, the components literally meant 'self-headed', but over time the term came to mean 'ecclesiastical self-governance' or 'independence of a church' in modern usage.