Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Suffolk” come from?

Suffolk comes from Old English Sūþfolc, combining Sūþ (south) and folc (people), derived from Proto-Germanic fulką and ultimately Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- (to fill).

Ancestry of “Suffolk”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old EnglishSūþfolc—
2Old Englishfolca people, nation, tribe; crowd; people
3Proto-West Germanicfolkpeople, tribe
4Proto-Germanicfulkąpeople; tribe
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpleh₁-to fill

Words derived from “Suffolk”

  • Suffolky
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- →