Where does “Nicholas” come from?
Nicholas (Middle English) comes from Old French Nicholas, from Latin Nīcolāus, from Ancient Greek Νικόλαος, from Ancient Greek λᾱός, from Proto-Hellenic lāwós, from Proto-Indo-European leh₂wos, from Proto-Indo-European leh₂- — to bark, howl; to be concealed.
Ancestry of “Nicholas”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | Nicholas | — |
| 2 | Latin | Nīcolāus | — |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | Νικόλαος | Nicolas |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | λᾱός | people; men; the people |
| 5 | Proto-Hellenic | lāwós | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | leh₂wos | people |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | leh₂- | to bark, howl; to be concealed |
Words derived from “Nicholas”