'barkeeper' originates from English, specifically formed from the combination of 'bar' and 'keeper', where 'bar' referred to the counter or establishment for serving drinks and 'keeper' meant 'one who keeps or manages'.

'barkeeper' developed from the compound form 'bar-keeper' (early Modern English) and reflects the combining of 'bar' with Old English-derived 'keeper' (from Old English 'cēpan' meaning 'to keep' or 'to care for'), eventually becoming the single-word form 'barkeeper' in later English.

Initially it meant 'one who keeps or looks after a bar', and over time it has remained largely consistent, now commonly used to mean 'a person who serves or manages at a bar'.