'burnet-saxifrage' is a compound formed from the English words 'burnet' and 'saxifrage'; 'saxifrage' ultimately comes from Latin 'saxifraga' where 'saxum' meant 'rock' and 'frangere' meant 'to break'.

'saxifrage' came into English from Latin 'saxifraga' (via Old French/Medieval Latin), meaning 'rock-breaking' (a name applied to several plants). 'burnet' as a plant name was used in Middle English (from Old French 'burnete' or similar forms) and combined with 'saxifrage' to form the compound name 'burnet-saxifrage' in modern English botanical usage.

Originally 'saxifrage' literally meant 'stone-breaker' (from Latin) and referred to plants thought to grow in rocky places or to break up stones; over time the compound 'burnet-saxifrage' came to denote this specific small umbelliferous species rather than the literal action of breaking rock.