Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Gothenburg” come from?

Gothenburg derives from Swedish Göteborg, combining Swedish borg meaning fortified town with the city name Göta, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰrgʰ- meaning fortification.

Ancestry of “Gothenburg”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1SwedishGöteborgGothenburg
2Proto-Turkicgöt-to rise, to raise; high, elevated

Words derived from “Gothenburg”

  • Gothenburger
Every word from Proto-Turkic göt- →