'formylamine' originates from Modern Latin/International scientific vocabulary, combining the element 'formyl' (derived from Neo-Latin 'formicum' and Latin 'formica' meaning 'ant', because formic acid was first obtained from ants) and 'amine' (from French 'amine', coined in 19th-century chemical nomenclature from 'ammonia').

'formylamine' developed in 19th-century chemical usage by joining the prefix 'formyl-' (referring to formic/formyl) with the suffix '-amine' (denoting derivatives of ammonia); this descriptive compound name entered modern English chemical nomenclature as 'formylamine'.

Initially used descriptively for compounds containing a formyl group bonded to an amino group, the term's practical usage has shifted in systematic nomenclature toward 'formamide' or 'methanamide' as preferred IUPAC names, though 'formylamine' remains understandable in older or descriptive contexts.