Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Alston” come from?

Alston is an English place name derived from Old English ælf combined with Old English -es, tracing back through Proto-Germanic albī and Proto-Indo-European albʰós.

Ancestry of “Alston”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
2Proto-West Germanictūnfence
3Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
4Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
5Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
6Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →