'name-bearing' originates from the compound of 'name' and 'bearing'. 'name' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'nama', where it meant 'name, reputation'. 'bearing' comes from the verb 'bear', which originates from Old English 'beran', where it meant 'to carry or carry on'.

'name' developed from Old English 'nama' into Middle English 'name' and retained its basic form; 'bearing' is derived from the present participle of Old English 'beran' → Middle English 'beren/bering'. The modern compound 'name-bearing' formed in later English by combining the noun 'name' with the participial form 'bearing'.

Initially, the elements literally meant 'a name' and 'carrying (something)'; over time the compound came to be used to mean 'having or showing a particular name' (including figurative or administrative uses such as 'name-bearing document').