köken: 男 (“man; baron”) + 爵 (“nobility title”). Originally, the lowest among the 五等爵 (Gotōshaku, “Five Ranks”) in China under the Zhou dynasty. Used as an equivalent to the concept of the European "baron" after the Meiji Restoration, during the establishment of a new peerage system called 華族 (Kazoku).
köken: Sino-Vietnamese word from 男爵, composed of 男 (“man; baron”) and 爵 (“nobility rank”), literally "the rank of a baron; barony". Mainly refers to the European rank. The Chinese rank did not include the suffix 爵 (tước), thus simply 男 (nam). See also công hầu bá tử nam.
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰerH-der. Proto-Germanic *barjaną Proto-Germanic *barô Proto-West Germanic *barōbor. Latin barōnem Old French baron Middle French baron French baronbor. Polish baron Borrowed from French baron.