'gender-typical' is a modern English compound of 'gender' and 'typical'. 'gender' in English ultimately comes from Old French 'gendre' and from Latin 'genus', where the root 'gen-' meant 'birth' or 'kind'; 'typical' comes from Greek 'typos' via Latin and French (e.g. Latin 'typicus', French 'typique'), where 'typos' meant 'pattern' or 'form'.

'gender' entered Middle English from Old French 'gendre' (itself from Latin 'genus') and originally related to 'kind' or grammatical category; 'typical' entered English via French and Latin from Greek 'typos'. The compound 'gender-typical' emerged in modern English (particularly in the 20th century) as discussions of social roles and norms around gender became common.

Originally, 'gender' often referred to a grammatical class and 'typical' to a pattern or characteristic; over time 'gender' acquired a social and cultural meaning about roles and identities, and 'gender-typical' came to mean 'conforming to common social expectations for a given gender.'