'bandsman' originates from English, formed from the noun 'band' + 'man'. The noun 'band' itself comes ultimately from Old Norse 'band' meaning 'a binding, a group' and 'man' from Old English 'mann' meaning 'person, male'.

'bandsman' appears in Middle English in forms such as 'bandesman' or 'bandsman' (literally 'man of a band') and developed into the modern English 'bandsman' with the specific sense of a member of a musical (especially military) band.

Initially it meant 'a man belonging to a band or group'; over time it became specialized to mean 'a musician who is a member of a military or marching band'.