Where does “Lewis” come from?
Lewis derives from Middle English Lewis, from Old French Louis, from Latin Ludovicus, from Latin Clodovicus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱlew- and ḱel- meaning "to be famous" or "to drive."
Ancestry of “Lewis”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | lewis | — |
| 2 | Old French | Louis | — |
| 3 | Latin | Ludovīcus | — |
| 4 | Old High German | Hlūtwīg | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | Hlūdawīg | — |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | hlūd | loud; sound |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | hlūdaz | loud; famous |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱlewtos | heard, famous |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱlew- | to hear |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱel- | to cover; to incline |
Words derived from “Lewis”