The generic name (Archaeornithoides) means "shaped like an ancient bird" in Ancient Greek, from ἀρχαῖος, archaios, "ancient"; ὄρνις, ornis, "bird"; and εἶδος, eidos, "form".
The holotype, ZPAL MgD-II/29, was discovered in Late Cretaceous river sandstones of the Djadokhta Formation beds, dating from the late Campanian.