Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Gustav” come from?

Gustav (English) comes from Old Swedish Gøtstaf, from Old Norse Gautstafr, from Old Norse stafr, from Proto-Norse ᛋᛏᚼᛒᚼ, from Proto-Germanic stabaz, from Proto-Indo-European stebʰ- — to stand still; to harden.

Ancestry of “Gustav”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old SwedishGøtstaf—
2Old NorseGautstafr—
3Old Norsestafrstaff
4Proto-Norseᛋᛏᚼᛒᚼ—
5Proto-Germanicstabazstaff, stick
6Proto-Indo-Europeanstebʰ-to stand still; to harden
Every word from Proto-Indo-European stebʰ- →