Etymology Explorer › English

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

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanFriedrichFrederick
2Old High GermanFridurih—
3Proto-West GermanicFriþurīkA male given name
4Proto-GermanicFriþurīkspeaceful ruler; peace king, peaceful ruler; prace...
5Proto-Germanicrīksking, ruler
6Proto-Celticrīxsking
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃rḗǵsking, ruler
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃reǵ-to straighten, to right oneself; right; just

Words derived from “Frederick”

  • Frederician
  • Frederick
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ- →