'barytophyllite' originates from Greek, specifically the words 'barys' meaning 'heavy' and 'phyllon' meaning 'leaf', together with the mineral suffix '-ite' that denotes a mineral.

'barytophyllite' was formed in modern mineralogical nomenclature by combining the prefix 'baryto-' (from Greek 'barys') and 'phyllite' (from Greek 'phyllon'), and has been used in geological and mineralogical literature since its original description.

Initially, the name emphasized the mineral's association with the heavy element barium and a leaflike or platy crystal habit; over time the term has remained a specific mineral name without significant change in meaning.