'spadefish' originates from modern English, a compound of 'spade' and 'fish', where 'spade' meant 'a flat, shovel-like tool' and 'fish' meant 'aquatic animal'.

'spadefish' developed as a compound term in English (originally often written as 'spade fish') in the 19th century to describe fish with a spade-like shape; the specific name for the Atlantic species (Chaetodipterus faber) became common in 19th-century natural history.

Initially, it meant simply 'a fish shaped like a spade', and over time it remained a common-name label for particular species with that shape.