Where does “Nigeria” come from?

Nigeria (Dutch) comes from English Nigeria, from English niger, from Latin Niger, from Proto-Indo-European negʷ- — bare, naked.

Ancestry of “Nigeria”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishNigeriaCurrency: naira (₦)
2EnglishnigerAn Ethiopian herb, Guizotia abyssinica, grown for...
3LatinNigerA Roman agnomen, or "nickname"
4Proto-Indo-Europeannegʷ-bare, naked
Every word from Proto-Indo-European negʷ- →Every word from Latin Niger →Every word from English niger →