'tribesperson' is a modern compound formed from 'tribe' + 'person'. 'tribe' ultimately comes from Latin 'tribus' and 'person' from Latin 'persona'. The compound is formed in English to denote a person belonging to a tribe, with an emphasis on a gender-neutral term.

'tribe' derives from Latin 'tribus' (used in Roman times to denote a division or group, literally related to 'third part'), which passed into Old French and Middle English as 'tribe'. 'person' comes from Latin 'persona' (originally 'mask' or 'character'), via Old French 'persone' into Middle English. The modern compound 'tribesperson' arose in recent English as an alternative to 'tribesman'/'tribeswoman'.

Originally, 'tribe' referred to a specific social division (from Latin 'tribus'), and 'person' referred to an individual (from Latin 'persona'). Over time, their combination has come to mean simply 'a member of a tribe', and in modern usage 'tribesperson' emphasizes neutral gender reference rather than male or female membership.