Where does “Hercules” come from?

Hercules comes from Ancient Greek Ἡρακλῆς, composed of ἥρως (hero) and κλέος (glory), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱlew- meaning to hear or be famous.

Ancestry of “Hercules”, step by step

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	Latin	Herculēs	—
2	Etruscan	𐌇𐌄𐌓𐌂𐌋𐌄	—
3	Ancient Greek	Ἡρακλῆς	Heracles
4	Ancient Greek	-κλῆς	An element found in given names
5	Ancient Greek	-κλέης	—
6	Ancient Greek	κλέος	rumour, report; good report, fame, glory; bad...
7	Proto-Hellenic	kléwos	fame
8	Proto-Indo-European	ḱléwos	fame
9	Proto-Indo-European	ḱlew-	to hear
10	Proto-Indo-European	ḱel-	to cover; to incline

Words derived from “Hercules”

Herculean

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- →

Hercules — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer