Where does “Zaporijia” come from?

Zaporijia (French) comes from Ukrainian Запорі́жжя, from Ukrainian за, from Proto-Slavic za — behind, after (stationary).

Ancestry of “Zaporijia”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1UkrainianЗапорі́жжяplace beyond the rapids
2Ukrainianзаbeyond
3Proto-Slaviczabehind, after (stationary)
Every word from Proto-Slavic za →Every word from Ukrainian за →Every word from Ukrainian Запорі́жжя →