ðə sˈɪndɹoʊm wʌz fˈɜːst dᵻskɹˈaɪbd ænd nˈeɪmd ɪn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti θɹˈiː baɪ hˈɛnɹi hˈʌtʃɚd, ɐ fɹˈɛntʃ kˌɑːɹdɪˈoʊlədʒˌɪst, hˌuː kˈɔːld ɪt "pɹˈeɪkoːɹdˌɪældʒi" fɹʌmðə lˈætɪn "pɹiːkˈoːɹdiə" mˈiːnɪŋ "bᵻfˌoːɹ ðə hˈɑːɹt", ɔːɹ "sˈɪndɹoʊm də hˈʌtʃɚd""hˈʌtʃɚd sˈɪndɹoʊm".
The syndrome was first described and named in 1893 by Henri Huchard, a French cardiologist, who called it "précordialgie" (from the latin "praecordia" meaning "before the heart"), or "Syndrôme de Huchard" ("Huchard syndrome").