Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Norfolk” come from?

Norfolk derives from Old English Norþfolc, a place name combining north and folk, referring to the northern people or territory of East Anglia.

Norfolk (English): A Norfolk jacket; A Norfolk spaniel

Definitions

  1. A Norfolk jacket; A Norfolk spaniel

Ancestry of “Norfolk”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishNorthfolk—
2Old EnglishNorþfolc—
3Old Englishfolca people, nation, tribe; crowd; people
4Proto-West Germanicfolkpeople, tribe
5Proto-Germanicfulkąpeople; tribe
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpleh₁-to fill
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- →