Where does “Harrisburg” come from?
Harrisburg derives from English Harris, a surname from Old French Henri, from Frankish Haimrik, ultimately tracing through Proto-Indo-European roots bʰrgʰ-, bʰerǵʰ-, kōim-, and h₃reǵ-.
Ancestry of “Harrisburg”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Harris | A placename |
| 2 | English | Harry | The drug heroin |
| 3 | Old French | Henri | — |
| 4 | Latin | Henrīcus | — |
| 5 | Old High German | Haimirich | — |
| 6 | Old High German | rihhi | rich; empire, kingdom, realm |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | rīkī | mighty, powerful; rich; kingdom, realm |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | rīkijaz | kingly, royal, noble; mighty, powerful; rich |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | rīks | king, ruler |
| 10 | Proto-Celtic | rīxs | king |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃rḗǵs | king, ruler |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃reǵ- | to straighten, to right oneself; right; just |