'barhop' originates from English, specifically formed by combining 'bar' and 'hop', where 'bar' meant 'an establishment that serves alcoholic drinks' and 'hop' meant 'to move quickly or jump.'

'barhop' developed in colloquial American English in the mid 20th century as a clipped compound from the phrase 'bar-hopping' and under the influence of similar compounds like 'pub crawl.'

Initially it specifically described the act of moving quickly between bars; over time it broadened to mean casually visiting several bars in one outing and also to refer to a person who does this.