Where does “Hannover” come from?
Hannover (German) comes from Middle Low German over, from Old Saxon ōvar, from Old English ōfer, from Proto-West Germanic obar, from Proto-Germanic uber, from Proto-Indo-European upér, from Proto-Indo-European upó, from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp-.
Ancestry of “Hannover”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle Low German | over | across, moving through or over something; across,... |
| 2 | Old Saxon | ōvar | — |
| 3 | Old English | ōfer | riverbank, seashore, brink, edge, margin, border |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | obar | over, above |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | uber | over; over, above |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | upér | above; over |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | upó | under, below |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ewp- | — |