'banjoist' originates from English, formed from the noun 'banjo' plus the agent suffix '-ist' (from French 'iste' / Latin 'ista'), where '-ist' meant 'one who practices or is concerned with'.

'banjo' itself is believed to come from an African word such as 'banza' (from Bantu languages) and was adopted into English via Portuguese (e.g. 'banza'/'banjo') in the 17th–18th centuries; English later formed 'banjoist' by adding the suffix '-ist'.

Initially it referred simply to a person associated with the 'banjo'; over time it became the standard term specifically meaning 'a person who plays the banjo'.