Etymology Explorer › Norwegian

Where does “Nilsen” come from?

Nilsen (Norwegian) comes from Norwegian Nils, 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 “Nilsen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1NorwegianNils—
2LatinNīcolāus—
3Ancient GreekΝικόλαοςNicolas
4Ancient Greekλᾱόςpeople; men; the people
5Proto-Helleniclāwós—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanleh₂wospeople
7Proto-Indo-Europeanleh₂-to bark, howl; to be concealed
Every word from Proto-Indo-European leh₂- →