Etymology Map
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Name

3 stages from Proto-Germanic to English.

Today it means a word by which someone or something is known

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

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

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.