'toponym' originates from New Latin 'toponymum', ultimately from Greek elements 'topos' meaning 'place' and 'onoma' (or 'onym-') meaning 'name'.

'toponym' was formed in New/Modern Latin as 'toponymum' (from Greek), was adopted into English in the 19th century as a technical term, and has remained in use in geography and onomastics.

Initially coined to denote 'a place name' in scholarly contexts, its meaning has remained largely the same though its usage has broadened from strictly academic texts to general reference to place-names.