Etymology: < Albania, the name of a former kingdom in the eastern Caucasus ( < classical Latin Albānia and its probable etymon Hellenistic Greek Ἀλβανία (Ptolemy)) + -an suffix. Compare classical Latin Albānus (adjective) of or connected with Albania, Albānī (plural noun) people of Albania, Hellenistic Greek Ἀλβανοί. Compare Middle French, French Albanien, noun (1455).The original name of the country (as used by its inhabitants) is not recorded, but may be reflected by the following names in neighbouring languages: Old Armenian Ałowank​‘ , Parthian ’rd’n , Middle Persian ’ld’n . A form of this name was probably borrowed in to Hellenistic Greek as Ἀλβανία and from there into classical Latin, where it was perhaps influenced by association with classical Latin albus white (see album n.²) or the related alba dawn (see alba n.²). Albani Albanians (in form after the Latin nominative plural) occurs as an ethnonym in the Old English translation of Orosius Hist.; compare also the isolated early attestation in Old English of Albano (dative) as the name of the country:eOE tr. Orosius Hist. (BL Add.) (1980) i. i. 12 Ac þa lond on easthealfe Danais þe þær nihst sindon, Albani hi sint genemde in Latina [L. regio proxima Albania..nominatur].OE Cynewulf Fates of Apostles 45 Þone [sc. St Bartholomew] heht Astrias in Albano, hæðen ond hygeblind, heafde beneotan, forþan he ða hæðengild hyran ne wolde, wig weorðian.Albania first occurs as a place name in English contexts in Middle English: ▸ a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xv. vii. 728 Albania is a prouynce of þe more Asia.

Etymology: < post-classical Latin Albania (1308; < medieval Greek Ἄλβανον (13th cent.), variant of Ἄρβανον (also in plural Ἄρβανα ), the name of a region of north-central Albania (c1140) + post-classical Latin -ia -ia suffix¹; compare post-classical Latin Arbania (1250)) + -an suffix. Compare Middle French Albanien , noun (1332); the usual modern French word is Albanais (1606). Compare slightly earlier Albanese n.The place name is of uncertain and disputed origin. It appears originally to have denoted a relatively small region of what is now north-central Albania, centred on the town attested (once) in Hellenistic Greek as Ἀλβανόπολις (2nd cent. in Ptolemy), probably modern Zgërdhesh, a village south-east of Krujë. The extension of the name to include a much wider region of northern and central Albania is already evidenced in Byzantine records of the 11th and 12th centuries, and it subsequently came to denote all regions of the western Balkans inhabited by Albanian-speakers. The question of whether the forms in *alb- or *arb- are primary has not been satisfactorily resolved. The former are attested very much earlier (in an isolated occurrence in the Greek of Ptolemy); however, the latter represent most of the oldest attested forms in the modern languages of the Balkans, including Albanian (compare the ethnonyms cited below), and have often been taken as primary, perhaps ultimately < the same Indo-European base as classical Latin arvum cultivated land (see Ambarvalia n.). An alternative etymology (taking the *alb- forms as primary) deriving the name < the same base as Alp n.¹ (itself of uncertain and disputed origin), perhaps with an original sense ‘high, mountainous’, is seen as less likely. Albania (borrowed from Latin) is the usual medieval and modern name of the country (attested in English contexts from at least c1503); compare French Albanie (late 13th cent. in Old French; also †Albeigne ), German Albanien (1497). It is noteworthy that the modern Albanian names of both the country (Shqipëri ) and the people (shqiptarë , plural: see Shqipetar n.) are formed on a completely different base; however, these words appear to show a comparatively recent innovation; compare Albanian †Arbanī , the name of Albania (1555), †Arbën , the name of Albania (1618; in later use only regional (Gheg) as the name of a region of central Albania), †Arbëni , the name of Albania (1706; in later use only regional (Gheg) as the name of a region of north-western Albania), and (with rhotacism of n ) Albanian †Arbër , the name of Albania (17th cent.), Albanian regional (Arbëresh) Arbëri , the name of Albania, (Tosk) the name of a region of south-western Albania. With the name of the inhabitants of the country compare Hellenistic Greek Ἀλβανοί (2nd cent. in Ptolemy in an isolated attestation; subsequently from the second half of the 11th cent. in Byzantine Greek; now the usual modern Greek word), Byzantine Greek Ἀρβανίται (second half of the 11th cent.; compare Arvanite n.), medieval Greek Ἀλβανίται (13th cent.), and also (in singular) Church Slavonic arbanas (early 11th cent.), Bulgarian (now hist.) arbanas , arbanasec , arbanasin (the usual modern Bulgarian word is albanec ), Romanian (now hist.) arbănaş (the usual modern Romanian word is albanez ), Vlach (Aromanian) arbinés , Albanian (now regional) arbënesh (1618: see Arbëresh n. and adj.), Ottoman Turkish Arvanid , Arnavud , Arnaud (see Arnaut n.).

Etymology: < the name of Albany, the capital city of New York State + -an suffix; compare -ian suffix.

Etymology: < Albania, Albany, a name of the medieval kingdom of Scotland < post-classical Latin Albania (a1155, c1200 in British sources; < Early Irish Alban- , Albu < the same Celtic base as Albion n.) + classical Latin -ia -ia suffix¹) + -an suffix. Compare Early Irish Albanach (noun) inhabitant of Scotland, (adjective) relating to Scotland (Irish Albanach, Scottish Gaelic Albannach), and also Albanactus, the name in post-classical Latin of the legendary first king of North Britain (a1155). Compare post-classical Latin Albanus (noun) inhabitant of Scotland (a1155, c1360 in British sources), Older Scots Albiane (1531), Albane (1596).Early Irish Albu (Irish Alba, Scottish Gaelic Alba, pronounced /alapə/) could originally refer to the whole of Britain, and subsequently specifically northern Britain; it was later used to refer to the Kingdom of Scotland and remains the name of Scotland in Scottish Gaelic and Irish. Alba is now also used in English contexts to refer to the Kingdom of Scotland prior to the Wars of Independence (often in the phrase Kingdom of Alba (1885 or earlier)). Compare the following early references to the Scottish Gaelic name in English contexts:1586 W. Camden Brit. sig. Ii2 Caledoniorum regio nunc incolis Allibawn dicitur.1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. i. 126 The High-land Scots living in Britaine, call that countrey which they inhabite, Alban and Albin [L. Alban et Albam..nuncupant], & the Irish name it Allabany. The place name is attested earlier in English contexts in the Latinate forms Albania and Albany (compare the following examples); it is now chiefly used historically as part of the title of the Duke of Albany (originally instituted in 1398). Compare Anglo-Norman Albanie, Albanye, a name of Scotland, also used as part of the title (1307 or earlier). ▸ a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 33 Þe souþ partie of Albania [L. Albaniae]..lith from þe water of Twyde anon to þe Scottische see.1410 in Speculum (1939) 14 24 The herault of the same Duc cleped Albany hath moeved..to our forsaid lord the kynge.1548 N. Bodrugan Epitome Title to Souereigntie Scotl. 251 Locrine herupon seazed Albania..as excheated wholy to hymself.1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 4 The lattir historiographors [called us] Albians, and the Realme Albanie.