'historiography' originates from New Latin, specifically the word 'historiographia', from Greek 'historia' (meaning 'inquiry, narrative') + 'graphein' (meaning 'to write').

'historiographia' in New Latin came via Medieval Latin and influenced modern European languages (e.g. French 'historiographie'), and eventually became the English word 'historiography' in the 19th century.

Initially it referred chiefly to 'the writing or recording of history'; over time it broadened to include both 'the study of how history is written' (methods and interpretation) and 'the body of writings on a historical topic.'