'pussytoe' originates from English, a compound of 'pussy' (a familiar word for a cat) and 'toe', coined to describe the plant's resemblance to a cat's toe pads.

'pussytoe' appeared as a compound common name (often written 'pussy-toes' in plural) applied to certain Antennaria species; the modern form 'pussytoe(s)' developed from that compound usage.

Initially it referred literally to a cat's toe (or its pad); over time the term was applied metaphorically to plants whose flowerheads resemble those pads and is now a standard common name for those species.