Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “goodwin” come from?

Goodwin comes from Old English gōd, from Proto-Germanic gōdaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gʰedʰ-, a root of uncertain meaning.

Ancestry of “goodwin”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishgōda good thing, advantage, benefit, gift; good,...
2Proto-West Germanicgōdgood
3Proto-Germanicgudąinvoked one; god, deity
4Proto-Germanicgastizstranger, guest
5Proto-Indo-Europeangʰóstisstranger, host
6Proto-Indo-European-tisDerives abstract/action nouns from verb roots
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tis →