 A Germanic origin can explain the "aspiration" of the initial "h".New research however focuses on the fact that the term was attested very early (12th century) and in Norman texts in the forms "Hable", "hafne", "havene", "havne", and "haule" makes a Dutch origin unlikely.By contrast, a Scandinavian etymology is relevant given the old Scandinavian "höfn" (genitive "hafnar") or "hafn" meaning "natural harbour" or "haven" and the phonetic evolution of the term "étrave" which is assuredly of Scandinavian origin is also attested in similar forms such as "estable" and probably dates back to the ancient Scandinavian "stafn".