'overseas-born' is a compound of 'overseas' + 'born'. 'Overseas' comes from 'over' + 'sea' (literally 'across the sea'), and 'born' is the past participle of 'bear' (Old English 'beran'), meaning 'to carry' or 'to bring forth'.

'Overseas' developed from Old English elements like 'ofer' (over, across) + 'sǣ' (sea). 'Born' comes from Old English 'boren', the past participle of 'beran'. These elements were combined in Modern English to form the compound 'overseas-born' used to describe people born across the sea.

Originally a literal description meaning 'born across the sea', it has come to be used more generally to categorize people who were born in a country different from the one in which they currently reside.