'waxbill' originates from English as a compound of 'wax' + 'bill'. 'Wax' ultimately comes from Old English 'weax' meaning 'wax', and 'bill' comes from Old English 'bile'/'billa' meaning 'beak' or 'bill'.

'waxbill' appears in Modern English as a compound (often written 'wax-bill' in older sources) used by 19th-century naturalists to name small African finches; it developed from descriptive phrases into the standard common name for certain estrildid species.

Initially it literally described a bird with a 'waxy' or brightly colored bill; over time it became the fixed common name for several small finch species (family Estrildidae).