Etymology
The name is thought to derive from an old Slavic word sopot meaning "stream" or "spring". The same root occurs in a number of other Slavic toponyms; it is probably onomatopeic, imitating the sound of running water - murmur (Šepot). (Today several streams run into the sea in the area of the town.)
The name is first recorded as Sopoth in 1283 and Sopot in 1291. The German Zoppot is a Germanization of the original Slavic name. In the 19th century and in the interwar years the German name was Polonized as Sopoty (a plural form, closer to the German pronunciation). "Sopot" was made the official Polish name when the town came again under Polish rule in 1945.
Read more about this topic: Sopot
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