Where does “Aachen” come from?

Aachen comes from German Aachen, derived from Latin aquae, which traces back through Old High German Āhha to Latin aquae, meaning water.

Ancestry of “Aachen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanAachen—
2Middle High GermanĀchen—
3Old High GermanĀhha—
4Proto-Germanic*Ākā—
5Latinaquawater
6Proto-Italicakʷāwater
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ekʷeh₂water, flowing water
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ekʷeh₂ →Every word from Proto-Italic akʷā →Every word from Latin aqua →