'Alsace' originates from German, specifically the word 'Elsass', where 'Els' referred to the river Ill (the local river) and the element '-ass' / Old High German '-āz' denoted a settled region or seat.

'Alsace' appeared in Medieval Latin as 'Alsatia' and in Old High German as 'Elsāz'/'Elsass'; through Old French and Modern French usage it became the English name 'Alsace'.

Initially it referred to the land/settlement beside the Ill river and its environs; over time it became the standard name for the broader province/region now known as Alsace in modern France.