'viewfinder' originates from modern English, formed as a compound of 'view' and 'finder'. 'view' originates from Old French 'vue', ultimately from Latin 'vidēre' where 'vidēre' meant 'to see'; 'finder' originates from Old English 'findan' where 'findan' meant 'to find'.

'viewfinder' first appeared in the early 20th century in photography as the hyphenated form 'view-finder' and later became the fused modern English form 'viewfinder'.

Initially it referred specifically to a simple optical frame used to preview a camera's composition; over time the term has remained similar in sense but broadened to include electronic displays and digital overlays that perform the same framing function.