Etymology

forename

F4O1R1E1N1A1M3E1

Today it means: A name that precedes the surname. Full definition →

English name ← Middle English name ← Old English nama
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*per-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*preh₂-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*pr̥h₂éy
  4. Proto-Germanic*furai
  5. Proto-Germanic*furai-
  6. Proto-West Germanic*forē-
  7. Old Englishfore-
  8. Middle Englishfore-
  9. Englishfore-
  10. Proto-Indo-European*h₁nómn̥
  11. Proto-Germanic*namô
  12. Proto-West Germanic*namō
  13. Old Englishnama
  14. Middle Englishname
  15. Englishname
  16. English todayforename

From fore- + name.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.