The name descends from Old East Slavic  (). Old East Slavic chronicles, such as Laurentian Codex and Novgorod Chronicle, used the spellings Києвъ, Къıєвъ, or Кїєвъ.  This is most likely derived from the Proto-Slavic name ''*Kyjevŭ gordŭ'' (literally, "Kyi's castle"), and is associated with Kyi (, ), the legendary eponymous founder of the city.