Currency Names
From Sedes Draconis
This is a compilation of the etymologies of coin and currency names I am collecting. It's purpose is two-fold: I find it fascinating, and it is a resource for naming concurrencies.
So far, it is based on information from Wikipedia and Dictionary.com, and I don't claim to be an expert. I welcome additions and corrections.
Dates of Origin refer to the first use of the name to refer to a coin or currency.
| Currency Name | Meaning | Origin | Derived Names | Notes & Date of Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type 1: The Coin | ||||
| 1.0 Literal | ||||
| Bani | "money, coin" | Romania | ||
| Manat | "coin" | Azerbaijan | 1919 | |
| Tanka | "coin" | India | Taka, Tangka, Tenga | Ancient |
| 1.1 Imprint | ||||
| Crown | crown | England | 1526 | |
| Escudo | "shield" | Spain | Scudo, Écu | 1566 |
| Fiorino | "flower" | Florence (Italy) | Florin, Florijn, Florint | Originally, Fiorino d'Oro, "Flower of Gold". 1252 |
| Lei | "lion" | Romania | Leu, Lev | The original "Leis" were Dutch daalders bearing an imprint of a lion. 17th Century. |
| Kopek | "spear" | Russia | qəpik | Imprint of a horseman with a spear. c. 1535 |
| Krone | "crown" | Austrio-Hungary | Krona, Króna, Korona, Koruna, Kroon | Many currencies, especially in Northeastern Europe, are direct descendants of the Imperial Austro-Hungarian Krone or Korona. The AH Krone doesn't seem to be based on the earlier, cognate coin name, the English Crown. 1892 |
| Phoenix | "phoenix" | Greece | 1828 | |
| Rupee | "stamped (silver coin)" | India, etc | Rupie, Rupiah, Rufiyah | c. 1540 |
| Thebe | "shield" | Botswana | 1976 | |
| 1.2 Inscription | ||||
| Ducat | "duke, duchy" | Sicily (Italy) | The first ducats bore the inscription "Sit tibi, Christe, datus, quem tu regis iste ducatus" ("O Christ, let this duchy which you rule be dedicated to you."). c. 1140 | |
| Franc | "Frank, Frenchman" | France | Frank, Franken, Frange, Franco | The first "Francs" were Livre Tournois (see below, under Tornesel) bearing the inscription "IOHANNES DEI GRATIA - FRANCORV REX", "John, by the grace of God, King of the French". 1360 |
| 1.3 Shape and Size | ||||
| Bit | "small piece, fragment" | ~US | Around the 16th century, the Spanish dollar coin (aka the Peso de a Ocho, or Piece of Eight) was one of the most common coins in circulation in the New World. But it was too large for many transactions, so it was regularly cut into eighths (bits) or quarters. 16 or 17th Century. | |
| Groschen | "large (penny or denarius)" | various European | Groat, Grosz, Kuruş, Garas, etc. | 13th Century |
| Lepton | "light, thin" | Greece | Ancient | |
| Obolus | "spit, needle" | Greece | Obol | Obolus were originally shaped like thin bars. Also a unit of weight. Ancient |
| Penig | "pan-like"? | Northern Europe | Penny, Pfennig, Fenig, Pence, Pingin | the original pennies may have been imprinted on only one side, giving them and concave, "pan-like" shape. 8th Century or before |
| Piastra | "plate" | Sicily (Italy) | Piastre, Piaster | 1815 |
| Picayune | "small coin" | Spain | 18th Century or before | |
| Yuan | "round, circular" | China | Yen, Won, Wen, Yang | Ancient |
| 1.4 Metal Content | ||||
| Auksinas | "gold" | Lithuania | 17th Century | |
| Birr | "silver" | Ethiopia | "Birr" was originally the local Ethiopian name for the Thalers used in the area. 1855 | |
| Chalkoi | "copper" | Greece | Ancient | |
| Chervonets | "pure (gold)" | Russia | Chervonets was originally used to refer to foreign gold coins, such as ducats. Russia minted its own Chervonets beginning in 1701. 16th Century or before | |
| Đồng | "copper" | Vietnam | before 19th Century | |
| Gulden | "golden" | Netherlands | Guilder | 13th Century |
| Nickel | a metal | US | Nick | Name applied in the U.S. to coins made from copper-nickel alloys. The first Nickels were one cent copper-nickel coins. c. 1860. |
| Öre | "gold" | Sweden | Øre | before 1776 |
| Perper | "refined" | Serbia | from Greek "hyperperos". 14th Century | |
| Solidus | "solid (gold) | Rome | Soldo, Sueldo, Sol, Sou | 293 |
| Som | "pure (gold)" | Uzbekistan | before 1917 | |
| Złoty | "golden" | Poland | Złoty was originally used to refer to foreign gold coins, such as ducats. Poland minted its own Złoty beginning in 1496. 14th Century | |
| 1.5 Onomatopoeia | ||||
| Pengő | "twanging" | Hungary | Onomatopoetic word for twang, used to refer to coins that made a twanging noise when struck, indicating purer metals. 15th Century | |
| Shilling | "ringer, resounder" | England | Schilling, Shah | before 9th C |
| Type 2: Value | 2.1 Units of Weight | |||
| As | unit of weight~pound | Roman | Assarius, Assarion | unit of weight equal to twelve ounces; "ounce" comes from "uncia" meaning 1/12, as does "inch". Ancient |
| Drachm | "handful", "dram" | Greek | Drachma | c. 600 BCE or before |
| Liǎng | unit of weight | China | Ryō | A unit of weight (called a "Tael" in English, see below). Generally used for silver, equal to about 30-40 grams. Ryō, c. 1300; Liǎng before that. |
| Libra | "pound" | Roman | Lira, Livre | c. 800 |
| Mark | unit of weight | Germania | Deutschmark, Marka, Markka, etc. | unit of weight used mainly for gold and silver, usually about half a pound |
| Ouguiya | "ounce"? | Mauritania | 1973 | |
| Peso | "weight" | Spain | Piso, Pesata, Pataca | 15th Century or before. |
| Pound | "pound" | England | Punt | c. 800 |
| Ruble | a weight of silver or gold | Russia | from "to chop", a piece off a silver bar. Before 1704 | |
| Shekel | unit of weight | Israel | sheqel | originally a unit of mass of barley, equal to 180 grains. Ancient |
| Srang | unit of weight | Tibet | 1909 | |
| Tahil | "weight"/"Liǎng" | Indonesia | Tael | Tahil, literally meaning "weight" is the Malay word for the Chinese unit, "Liǎng", and derived currencies. "Tael" (or earlier "Tay") is the word usually used in English for the Liǎng (above), both as a unit of measurement and as a currency. |
| 2.2 Denomination | ||||
| Cent | "hundred" | Various | Centavo, Centas, Centésimo, Centavo, Sen, Sent, Qindarkë | I haven't determined when and where the first use was, or if all are related names, or if some are independent namings. |
| Denarius | "containing ten" | Rome | Denar, Denier, Dinar | The value of a denarius was originally 10 As. 211 BCE |
| Disme | "tenth part" | US | Dime | 10 disme = 1 dollar. 1792 |
| Khoums | "one fifth" | Mauritania | 5 khoums = 1 ouguiya. 1973 | |
| Peso de a Ocho | "weight of eight" | Spain, etc. | Peso, Piece of Eight, Real de a Ocho | Also called the Spanish Dollar. It is my opinion that Pieces of Eight were not called that because they were cut into eight pieces (though they were, see Bit, Quarter), but that it is a mistranslation of Peso de a Ocho, the original name of the coin, due to its value as eight reals. 1497 |
| Quarter | "one fourth" | US | Around the 16th century, the Spanish dollar coin (aka the Peso de a Ocho, or Piece of Eight) was one of the most common coins in circulation in the New World. But it was too large for many transactions, so it was regularly cut into eighths (bits) or quarters. 16 or 17th Century. | |
| Toman | "ten thousand" | Persia | A Toman was equal to 10,000 dinars. 1798 or before. | |
| 2.3 Trade Goods | ||||
| Buck | animal skin | US | (unproven etymology) 1850s | |
| Cauri | "cowry (shell)" | Republic of Guinea (Africa) | cowry shells are a common pre-coin currency | |
| Cedi | "cowry shell" | Ghana | Could easily be cognate to Cauri, but I have no direct evidence | |
| Hryvnia | "bracelet/necklace"? | Ukraine | ||
| Kina | kina shell | Papua New Guinea | ||
| Kuna | "marten (pelt)" | Croatia | Marten pelts were a valuable product of the region, and were the preferred form of tax payment from the area under the Romans. Kuna coins have also traditional had marten imprints, so this could be classified under 1.1 | |
| Quetzal | species of bird | Guatemala | Quetzal tail feathers were used as currency prior in pre-Columbian times. The quetzal is also the national bird of Guatemala. 1925 | |
| Sycee | "fine silk" | China | c. 200 BCE | |
| Type 3: Origin | 3.1 Printing State | |||
| Argentino | "Argentinian" | Argentina | 1881 | |
| Boliviano | "Bolivian" | Bolivia | 1864 | |
| Euro | after "Europe" | European Union | Before 1999 (1992?) | |
| Genevoise | "Genevan" | Geneva | 1794 | |
| Lat | after Latvia | Latvia | 1922 | |
| Litas | after Lithuania | Lithuania | 1922 | |
| Somalo | "Somalian" | Italian Somaliland | 1950 | |
| Tornesel | "of Tours" | City of Tours | Tornesol, Tornese, Tournesion | In France it was the Denier Tournois, and then Livre Tournois (and then the Franc), Elsewhere in Europe, especially French-controlled parts of Italy, there were derived currencies which used only the "of Tours" modifier as the name. Before 1203 |
| Venezolano | "Venezuelan" | Venezuela | 1874 | |
| 3.2 Origin of Material | ||||
| Guinea | the region of Guinea (in west Africa) | England | The original Guineas were minted from gold from the region of Guinea. This was apparent from the coin, as they bore the symbol of the Royal African Company. 1663 | |
| Thaler | "from (Joachim's) Valley" | Bohemia, etc. | Dollar, Tolar, Tala, Daalder, Daler, Taler | Thaler was originally short for Joachimisthaler, being minted from silver from the mine at Joachimisthal (Joachim's Valley). 1515 |
| 3.3 Authority | ||||
| Heller | "from (the city of) Hall" | Germany | The original Hellers were struck under the authority of the Imperial House of Hohenstaufen, based in the city of Hall (now Schwäbisch Hall). "Hall" means "salt", the city gained its importance from a brine well. 12th Century | |
| Maravedí | from the Almoravid dynasty | Spain | Named after the Almoravid dynasty under whom they were originally struck. 11th Century. | |
| Real | "royal" | Castille (Spain) | Royal, Reaal, Rial, Riyal, Riel | 14th Century |
| Sovereign | sovereign | England | 1489 | |
| Not yet classified | ||||
| Follis | "bag" | Roman | Follaro, Fals | There is a suggestion that the name, literally meaning "bag", referred to a sealed pouch containing a specific amount of money. 2.2: Denomination? c. 300 |
| Rand | "Ridge" | South Africa | Rand is short for Witwatersrand ("White Water Ridge"), the major gold mining area in South Africa (indeed, the most abundant gold mining region in the world) and the location of Johannesburg. Rands were never actually minted from gold, thus this is not in section 3.2 (an exception is the Krugerrand, which was minted from gold, but not intended for circulation). 2.3: Trade Goods?? 3.3: Authority?? 1961 |
