'non-national' is formed in modern English by combining the prefix 'non-' (from Latin 'non', meaning 'not') with 'national' (from French 'national' < Latin 'nationalis', related to 'natio' meaning 'birth, people, nation').

'national' derived from Latin 'natio' via Old French 'nation'/'national' and Middle English, and the negative prefix 'non-' was added in English to create 'non-national' to indicate the absence of national status.

Initially, elements meant 'not' (non-) and 'relating to a nation' (national); combined, they came to refer specifically to someone lacking national (citizenship) status of a particular country.