Etymology Explorer › Old French

Where does “Nicholas” come from?

Nicholas (Old French) comes 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

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinNīcolāus—
2Ancient GreekΝικόλαοςNicolas
3Ancient Greekλᾱόςpeople; men; the people
4Proto-Helleniclāwós—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanleh₂wospeople
6Proto-Indo-Europeanleh₂-to bark, howl; to be concealed

Words derived from “Nicholas”

  • Nicholas
  • Coll
  • Nicholson
  • Nicola
  • Colson
  • Collard
  • Collet
  • Colle
  • Nickolas
  • Nicholine
  • Nicholas
Every word from Proto-Indo-European leh₂- →