'backsettler' originates from Modern English as a compound of 'back' and 'settler', where 'back' meant 'rear' or 'remote' and 'settler' is derived from 'settle' (to establish residence).

'back' comes from Old English 'bæc' meaning 'rear, backwards'; 'settler' comes from the verb 'settle', Old English 'setlan'/'settan' (to cause to sit, to establish). The compound 'backsettler' appears in 18th–19th century usage (especially in American English) to describe people moving into the backcountry, formed by straightforward compounding of these elements.

Initially it meant 'one who settles in the back (country)' and this basic meaning has largely remained; over time it has also acquired occasional regional/pejorative senses implying remoteness or lack of modern sophistication.