name

Where does the word "name" come from? It comes from Proto-Germanic namô, passing through Old English before entering English (1500s).

Name’s story begins in Proto-Germanic: namô meant “name.” One of the oldest shared words, matching Latin 'nōmen' and Sanskrit 'nāman'. By 700s-1000s, the word had taken hold in Old English as nama. Most Anglo-Saxons had a single name; surnames spread only after 1066. It reached English by 1500s as name. 'nickname' comes from 'an ekename', an extra name, misheard as 'a nekename'. Today, name means a word by which someone or something is known.

1. Stage 1 · Proto-Germanic · ancient namô "name", one of the oldest shared words, matching Latin 'nōmen' and Sanskrit 'nāman'.
2. Stage 2 · Old English · 700s-1000s nama "name", most Anglo-Saxons had a single name; surnames spread only after 1066.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1500s name "name", 'nickname' comes from 'an ekename', an extra name, misheard as 'a nekename'.