An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Labberdan
Labberdan, m., ‘codfish,’ ModHG. only, from LG.; to this are allied, with remarkable divergences, Du. labberdaan, earlier abberdaan and slabberdaan, and E. haberdine, with the same sense. The word is based not on the name of the Scotch town Aberdeen, but on tractus Laburdanus, a part of the Basque country (Bayonne used to be called Laburdum, Fr. Labourd), It must have been introduced into the Netherlands through a Fr. medium; the form abberdaen is due to the error of regarding the initial l as the article. Comp. also Kabliau.