Where does “Sokoto” come from?

Sokoto comes from Hausa sakkwato, a term of uncertain ultimate origin that became the name of a historical West African state.

Ancestry of “Sokoto”, step by step

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	Hausa	Sakkwato	—
2	Arabic	سُوق	market, souq
3	Aramaic	שוקא	street; square, plaza, forum; market, bazaar
4	Akkadian	𒋻	divide, cut off
5	Akkadian	𒆸	"upqu" "block"
6	Sumerian	𒆸	block, slab; to make clod

Sokoto — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer