Where does “Louvain” come from?

Louvain comes from French Louvain, which derives from Medieval Latin Luvanium, a place name of uncertain ultimate origin.

Ancestry of “Louvain”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1FrenchLouvain
2Medieval LatinLuvanium
3Frankish*Loven
4Old Norsehveinswampy land; gorse, furze; swamp, marsh
5Proto-Germanichwainō
6Proto-Indo-Europeanḱweyn-to make dirty, soil; filth; mud; to soil; mud;...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱweyn-Every word from Proto-Germanic hwainōEvery word from Old Norse hvein