'upper-surface' originates from English, formed from the adjective 'upper' and the noun 'surface'. 'upper' comes from Old English 'ūpera' (comparative of 'up'), meaning 'higher', and 'surface' comes from Latin 'superficies' via Old French, where 'super-' meant 'above' and 'facies' meant 'face'.

'upper' developed from Old English 'ūpera' (comparative of 'up'), while 'surface' developed from Latin 'superficies' → Old French 'surface' → Middle English 'surface'. The compound 'upper surface' is a Modern English compound (sometimes hyphenated as 'upper-surface').

Initially the elements meant 'higher' ('upper') and 'face/outer layer' ('surface'); over time the combined phrase came to be used simply for the 'topmost face' or 'top side' of an object.