Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Norman” come from?

Norman comes from Middle English Norman, from Old English Norþman, literally meaning "north man," referring to Scandinavian settlers.

Norman (English): A person whose ancestors are from Normandy or who...

Definitions

  1. A person whose ancestors are from Normandy or who...

Ancestry of “Norman”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishNormanA member of the mixed Scandinavian and Frankish...
2Old FrenchNormantNorman
3Old Norsenorðmaðr—
4Old Norsenorðrnorth; north, northward
5Proto-Germanicnurþrąnorth, northern; north, northward
6Proto-Germanicnurþraznorth, northern
7Proto-Indo-European*nér—

Words derived from “Norman”

  • Anglo-Norman
  • Norman
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *nér →