'ogcocephalid' originates from New Latin (taxonomic usage), specifically the family name 'Ogcocephalidae' derived from the genus name 'Ogcocephalus', which itself comes from Greek roots 'ogkos' and 'kephalē' where 'ogkos' meant 'bulk, lump, swelling' and 'kephalē' meant 'head'.

'Ogcocephalus' was coined in scientific Latin from Greek elements; this produced the family name 'Ogcocephalidae' in New Latin, and English formed the noun/adjective 'ogcocephalid' to denote members or attributes of that family.

Initially the Greek components conveyed the literal image 'swollen/humped head'; over time the compound name became the formal taxonomic label for a group of fishes, and today 'ogcocephalid' denotes those fishes (or things relating to them) rather than the literal anatomical description.