Where does “Pagan” come from?

Pagan comes from Latin paganus, derived from Latin pagus meaning district or countryside, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European peh₂ǵ- meaning to fix or fasten.

Ancestry of “Pagan”, step by step

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	Burmese	ပုဂံ	—
2	Old Burmese	ပုကမ်	—
3	Pali	gāma	village
4	Sanskrit	ग्राम	an inhabited place, village, hamlet, settlement;...
5	Proto-Indo-Aryan	grā́mas	—
6	Proto-Indo-Iranian	grā́mas	village, town; community
7	Proto-Indo-European	h₂ger-	to gather; flock, herd

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ger- →

Pagan — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer