'calliphorid' originates from New Latin, from the genus name 'Calliphora', which ultimately comes from Greek 'kalliphōros' (καλλιφόρος), where 'kalli-' meant 'beautiful' and '-phoros' meant 'bearing' or 'carrying'.

'calliphorid' developed from the New Latin family name 'Calliphoridae' (based on the genus 'Calliphora') and was adopted into English to refer to members of that family.

Initially it referred specifically to members of the genus 'Calliphora' or the New Latin family name, but over time it evolved into the general English term for any blowfly of the family Calliphoridae ('a blowfly').