Where does “Frederick” come from?
Frederick comes from German Friedrich, from Old High German Fridurih, from Proto-West Germanic Friþurīk, from Proto-Germanic Friþurīks, combining elements derived from Proto-Indo-European preyH-, prāy-, and prēy-.
Ancestry of “Frederick”, step by step
Frederick traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German Friedrich
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Friedrich | Frederick |
| 2 | Old High German | Fridurih | — |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | Friþurīk | A male given name |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | Friþurīks | peaceful ruler; peace king, peaceful ruler; prace... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | rīks | king, ruler |
| 6 | Proto-Celtic | rīxs | king |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃rḗǵs | king, ruler |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃reǵ- | to straighten, to right oneself; right; just |
via Latin Fridericus
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | Fridericus | — |