Where does “Ní” come from?

Ní (Irish) comes from Old Irish ní, from Proto-Celtic nīs, from Proto-Indo-European ne h₁ésti — is not.

Ní (Irish): A prefix used with a woman's maiden surname

Definitions

  1. A prefix used with a woman's maiden surname

Ancestry of “Ní”, step by step

Ní traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old Irish ní

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Irishnínot; is not, isn’t; something, anything
2Proto-Celticnīs—
3Proto-Indo-Europeanne h₁éstiis not

via Irish iníon uí

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Irishiníon uídaughter of the descendant of

Words derived from “Ní”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ne h₁ésti →Every word from Proto-Celtic nīs →Every word from Old Irish ní →