'foreign-born' is a compound of 'foreign' + 'born'. 'foreign' ultimately comes from Latin 'foris' meaning 'outside', via Old French 'forain' (or Medieval Latin 'foraneus'); 'born' is the past participle of Old English 'beran' (to bear), from Proto-Germanic '*biran'.

'foreign' developed from Old French 'forain' and Middle English forms like 'foren/forain' into modern English 'foreign'; 'born' evolved from Old English 'geboren'/'boren' (past participle forms) to modern 'born'. The compound 'foreign-born' appears in Modern English to describe someone born abroad.

Originally a straightforward compound meaning 'born outside (one's country or place)', the sense has remained largely stable: it still denotes birth outside the country in question, used both adjectivally and as a collective noun.