'auxanogram' originates from Greek, specifically the prefix 'auxano-' and the suffix '-gram', where 'auxano-' meant 'to increase; to grow' and '-gram' meant 'a drawing or record'.

'auxanogram' was coined in scientific usage in the late 19th to early 20th century by combining Greek-derived elements (seen in terms like 'auxanometer' and 'auxanography') and came into English as a technical biological term meaning a growth record.

Initially it referred specifically to instruments or records for measuring growth; over time it has come to denote both the graphical record itself and particular microbiological tests that chart growth requirements.