'gentleperson' originates from English, a compound of 'gentle' and 'person'; 'gentle' ultimately comes from Old French 'gentil' and Latin 'gentilis' meaning 'of a family, of noble birth', while 'person' comes from Latin 'persona' meaning 'mask' or 'character'.

'gentle' appeared in Middle English as 'gentil' (from Old French), and compounds like 'gentleman' (Middle English 'gentilman') became common; 'gentleperson' developed in English as a straightforward compound of 'gentle' + 'person', used sporadically in early modern and legal texts and revived at times as a gender-neutral or formal alternative to 'gentleman'.

Initially the elements meant 'of a family / noble (gentle)' and 'mask/character (person)'; over time the compound came to mean specifically 'a person of gentle birth or manners' and more recently has been used (occasionally) as a gender-neutral equivalent of 'gentleman'.