'methoxybenzaldehyde' originates from Modern chemical nomenclature, specifically the concatenation of the element 'methoxy' and the parent compound 'benzaldehyde', where 'methoxy' ultimately comes from New Latin 'methox-' (from 'methyl' + 'oxy') and 'benzaldehyde' is formed from 'benz-' (from 'benzoin' / 'benzene' roots) plus 'aldehyde' (a 19th-century coinage for oxidized alcohol derivatives).

'methoxybenzaldehyde' developed as systematic naming in organic chemistry by joining the substituent name 'methoxy' to the established compound name 'benzaldehyde'; 'benzaldehyde' itself entered chemical vocabulary via French/Latin forms (e.g. 'benzaldéhyde') that derived from 'benzoin' and the suffix '-aldehyde' introduced in the 19th century.

Initially, the components indicated a methoxy group attached to a benzene-derived aldehyde in descriptive, non-systematic names; over time the combined form 'methoxybenzaldehyde' became the standard collective name for the specific isomeric aldehydes where a methoxy substituent is present on the benzaldehyde ring.