Where does “Novgorod” come from?

Novgorod is the English name for the Russian city Но́вгород, whose etymology remains uncertain.

Ancestry of “Novgorod”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1RussianНо́вгородNewtown
2Old East SlavicНовъгородъNovgorod
3Old East Slavicгородъfortification, castle
4Proto-Slavicgȏrdъfortified settlement
5Proto-Balto-Slavicgardasenclosure
6Proto-Indo-Europeangʰerdʰ-to enclose, to encircle; enclosure, fence, belt
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰerdʰ- →Every word from Proto-Balto-Slavic gardas →Every word from Proto-Slavic gȏrdъ →