The name thyme goes back to Greek thymon/thymos meaning "spirit", "passion", "courage", "anger", "heart". The Greek plant name is usually put in relation with thymos "spirit", originally meaning "smoke" (related to Latin fumus "smoke"; cf. "perfume") and the verb thyein "smoke, cure, offer an incense sacrifice". The reference is probably the strong, smoky odour of thyme. Another, unrelated explanation that name actually comes from Old Egyptian tham, a plant used in the mummification process.

The use of thyme has been recorded as far back as 3000 BC when it was used as an antiseptic by the Sumerians. The early Egyptians also used thyme as one of the ingredients in their mummification process. To the ancient Greeks, thyme came to denote elegance, and the phrase "to smell of thyme" became an expression of stylish praise. Thyme was widely used: medically, in massage and bath oils, as incense in the temples and as an aphrodisiac. The Romans, like the Greeks, also associated thyme with courage and vigor, bathing in waters scented with thyme to prepare themselves for battle. Scottish highlanders would prepare a tea of wild thyme for the same purpose, as well as for warding off nightmares. During the Middle Ages, European ladies embroidered a sprig of thyme on tunics for their knights, again as a token of courage.