'pro-shipper' originates from English, specifically the prefix 'pro-' ultimately from Latin 'pro' where 'pro' meant 'for', and 'shipper' from the English word 'ship' plus the agentive suffix '-er' (originally from Old English 'scip'/'scipian' for 'ship').

'pro-shipper' is a modern compound formed by combining the prefix 'pro-' (borrowed via English from Latin) with the existing agent noun 'shipper' (derived from Old English roots for 'ship'); it developed as a descriptive/comparative label in recent English usage (20th–21st century) rather than from a single historical predecessor.

Initially the elements meant 'for' (pro-) and 'one who ships' (shipper); over time the compound came to be used both in the literal, commercial sense ('for shippers') and, by figurative extension in fandom, to mean someone who supports a fictional pairing.