Where does “Fredericton” come from?
Fredericton derives from English Frederick plus the suffix -ton, from Middle English -ton, Old English -tūn meaning "enclosure" or "settlement," from Proto-Germanic tūną, ultimately from Gaulish dunum and Proto-Celtic dūnom.
Ancestry of “Fredericton”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Fredericston | — |
| 2 | English | -ton | Place-name suffix, originally denoting a town or... |
| 3 | Middle English | -ton | — |
| 4 | Old English | -tūn | homestead, village, town |
| 5 | Old English | tūn | enclosure, yard; place; dwelling |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | tūn | fence |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | tūną | fence; enclosure |
| 8 | Gaulish | dunum | fort; hill, hillfort |
| 9 | Proto-Celtic | dūnom | stronghold, rampart |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |