'balanopsidaceae' originates from New Latin (botanical Latin), formed from the genus name 'Balanops' (from Greek 'balanos' meaning 'acorn' + 'ops' meaning 'appearance') combined with the family-forming suffix '-aceae' (from Latinized Greek, denoting a plant family).

'Balanops' was coined from Greek roots 'balanos' + 'ops' to describe an acorn-like characteristic; later, in modern botanical Latin, the family name 'Balanopsidaceae' was created by adding the suffix '-aceae' to indicate a family.

Initially the root components referred to an 'acorn-like appearance'; over time the derived name came to serve primarily as the formal name of a plant family rather than a descriptive phrase.