All of us are well aware of our currencies and the name we refer it with. But have you ever thought about origins of the currency names?

Well, they have some interesting and informative background that everyone should know.

Recently a blog posted on Oxford Dictionaries website showed that many of the names the world uses for its money have similar origins.

Dollar

The dollar is one of the most common currencies in the world used by the US, Australia, Canada, Fiji, New Zealand, and Singapore to name a few. The origin of the dollar, also the Slovenian tolar, is from a coin called the Joachimsthaler, shortened to Thaler (or daler in early Flemish or Low German), named after the valley in which the silver it was made from was mined, the Joachimsthal, literally ‘Joachim’s valley’.

 

Dinar

From the latin denarius – means a Roman coin. Many countries use the dinar, which comes from the Latin denarius: Jordanian dinar, Algerian dinar, Serbian dinar, and Kuwaiti dinar among others.

Forint

From the Italian Fiorino – a gold coin from Florence which had a flower printed on it.

 

Krona/Krone/Koruna

Many Scandinavian countries use currency whose name is ultimately derived from the Latin corona meaning ‘crown’: Swedish krona, Norwegian krone, Danish krone, Icelandic króna as well as the Estonian kroon (now replaced by the Euro) and the Czech koruna.

 

Lira

From the Latin Libra meaning ‘pound’.

 

Peso

Translates directly into the English for ‘weight’. It is now no longer used in Spain, it lives on as the currency of Mexico, Argentina, the Philippines, Chile, Uruguay, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Colombia.

 

Pound

From the Latin Pondus meaning ‘weight’.

 

Rand

The South African rand is named after the Witwatersrand, the area  around Johannesburg known for its gold deposits

 

Real/Rial/Riyal

From the Latin Regalis meaning ‘royal’.

Ringgit

From the Malay word meaning ‘jagged’ after the jagged edges of the old Spanish dollars.

 

Ruble

A measure of weight for silver.

 

Rupee/Rupiah

Word Rupee was derived from the Sanskrit rupya which means ‘wrought silver’.

 

Yuan/Yen/Won

Derives from the Chinese character meaning ’round’ or ’round coin’.