'dogfish' originates from English, formed by the compound of 'dog' + 'fish', literally meaning a 'dog-like fish' (first recorded in the early 17th century).

'dog' + 'fish' was used in Early Modern English to describe a fish thought to be doglike in behavior; the compound stabilized as 'dogfish' in modern English.

Initially it referred generally to a fish thought to be doglike (fierce or tenacious); over time it became the specific name for several small shark species (e.g., the spiny dogfish).