'troublemaker' originates from the combination of 'trouble' and 'maker', where 'trouble' meant 'difficulty or problem' and 'maker' meant 'one who creates or causes'.

'trouble' changed from the Old French word 'troubler' and 'maker' from the Old English 'macian', eventually forming the modern English word 'troublemaker'.

Initially, it meant 'one who causes trouble', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.