First of all, where did the word wallet even come from? It is believed that the word has its origin somewhere in the 14th century. Even so, it is not exactly sure where it came from. Some believe that it is from the Norman-French word golette, which directly translates into little snout. Other sources say that it has its roots in Proto-Germanic, coming from the word wall, meaning roll. Shakespeare also used the term but, in his description, it talked about something that resembled more of what is called a “backpack” today.