Where does “Gal” come from?

Gal (Haitian Creole) comes from French Galles, from Old English Wēalas, from Old English wealh, from Old English īeġ, from Proto-West Germanic auwju, from Proto-Germanic awjō, from Proto-Germanic agwjō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ — water.

Ancestry of “Gal”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1FrenchGalles—
2Old EnglishWēalasthe Welsh
3Old Englishwealhforeigner; Briton or Welshman; slave
4Old Englishīeġisland
5Proto-West Germanicauwjufloodplain; meadow; island
6Proto-Germanicawjōfloodplain; meadow; island
7Proto-Germanicagwjō—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ékʷeh₂water
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ →Every word from Proto-Germanic agwjō →Every word from Proto-Germanic awjō →