'sulphonic' originates from Modern Latin 'sulphonicus', formed from Latin 'sulphur' (meaning 'sulfur') plus the adjectival suffix '-ic'.

'sulphonic' was influenced by French 'sulphonique' and 19th-century chemical usage ('sulphonic acid'); later variant spellings and the US preferred form 'sulfonic' emerged, while 'sulphonic' remained common in British usage.

Initially used in chemistry to name compounds related to sulfur-containing acids, the term has come to specifically denote relation to sulphonic/sulfonic acids (compounds bearing the –SO3H group).