'backbar' originates from English, specifically the compound of the words 'back' and 'bar', where 'back' meant 'the rear part' and 'bar' meant 'a counter or long rod (later: a drinking counter).'

'backbar' developed from the two-word phrase 'back bar' (recorded in the late 19th to early 20th century), was sometimes written as 'back-bar', and in modern usage is often closed as the single word 'backbar'.

Initially it simply indicated 'the bar at the back' (literally the rear part of the bar area); over time the term has come to refer more specifically to the shelving/display and storage area behind a service bar.