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 hwainō →Every word from Old Norse hvein →