Where does “người Nam” come from?

người Nam (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese năm, from Proto-Chamic *nam, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian ənəm, from Proto-Austronesian ənəm, from Proto-Austroasiatic *ənəm.

Ancestry of “người Nam”, step by step

người Nam traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese năm

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesenămfive; a year
2Proto-Chamic*namsix
3Proto-Malayo-Polynesianənəmsix
4Proto-Austronesianənəmsix
5Proto-Austroasiatic*ənəm—

via Vietnamese Người

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1VietnameseNgườiYou/Thou/Thee, Jesus Christ; You/Thou/Thee, my...
2Proto-Vieticŋaːj—
3Proto-Mon-Khmer(m)ŋaajperson, human being; human being; person
Every word from Proto-Austroasiatic *ənəm →Every word from Proto-Austronesian ənəm →Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian ənəm →