Date
Meaning & History
Either derived from Lithuanian alnė or alnis, dialectal words for elnė "deer" and elnias "roebuck", or a direct adoption of the name of the river Alna (referred to by its Polish name Łyna in English), whose name is derived from Old Prussian. The Old Prussian name Alna itself is said to be derived from the Proto-Germanic element el-l or ol- "to flow; to run (referring to water)".