'barogram' originates from the combining form 'baro-' from Greek 'baros' meaning 'weight' or 'pressure' and the suffix '-gram' from Greek 'gramma' meaning 'something written'.

'barogram' was formed in modern English from the Greek combining elements 'baro-' + '-gram', modeled on similar scientific coinages (for example 'barograph'), and entered technical use in the 19th century as instruments to record pressure were developed.

Initially it denoted a written record of pressure (the chart or trace); this primary meaning has been retained, though the term is sometimes extended to mean the recording instrument itself.