Where does “Mehmed” come from?
Mehmed (Serbo-Croatian) comes from Ottoman Turkish محمد, from Arabic مُحَمَّد, from Classical Persian جَان, from Middle Persian 𐫃𐫏𐫀𐫗, from Proto-Iranian *wyaHnáH, from Proto-Indo-Iranian wyaHnás, from Proto-Indo-European h₂enh₁‑.
Ancestry of “Mehmed”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Ottoman Turkish | محمد | — |
| 2 | Arabic | مُحَمَّد | praised, commendable, laudable; Muhammad |
| 3 | Classical Persian | جَان | — |
| 4 | Middle Persian | 𐫃𐫏𐫀𐫗 | — |
| 5 | Proto-Iranian | *wyaHnáH | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | wyaHnás | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂enh₁‑ | — |