Where does “Bjørnøy” come from?

Bjørnøy (Norwegian Nynorsk) comes from Norwegian Nynorsk øy, from Old Norse ey, from Proto-Norse *ᚨᚢᛃᚢ, from Proto-Germanic awjō, from Proto-Germanic agwjō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ — water.

Ancestry of “Bjørnøy”, step by step

Bjørnøy traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Norwegian Nynorsk øy

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Norwegian Nynorskøyan island
2Old Norseeyalways, ever; island
3Proto-Norse*ᚨᚢᛃᚢ—
4Proto-Germanicawjōfloodplain; meadow; island
5Proto-Germanicagwjō—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ékʷeh₂water

via Norwegian Nynorsk bjørn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Norwegian Nynorskbjørna bear
2Old NorseBjǫrnbear (animal)
3Proto-Germanicbernuzbear
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ →Every word from Proto-Germanic agwjō →Every word from Proto-Germanic awjō →
Bjørnøy — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer