Germanic forenames are traditionally formed from two elements (dithematic). For example, King Æþelred's name was derived from "æþel", for "noble", and "ræd", for "counsel". Many of these names are still used today. Honorifics were often added after names, rather than before. For example, King Edmund was "Edmund cyning".
both as first and second element:
- berht - bright (Byrhtnoth, Bertrand, Cuthbert, Albert, Robert)
- friþ - peace (Sigfrid, Dietfried, Fredegar)
- grim - savage, fierce (Herugrim, Grimbold)
- gund - battle (Gunther, Gunnhild, Haragund)
- her - army (Herman, Herleif, Herbert, Diether)
- hild - war (Hildebrand, Hildegard, Gunnhild)
- maer - famous (Marvin, [[Wulfmar], Chlodomir, Odomir, Vladimir)
- ric - ruler (Theodoric, Roderick, Richimir, Sigeric)
- sig - victory (Sigibert, Sigeric)
- wulf - wolf (Cynewulf, Rudolph, Adolph, Wulfstan)
prefixes:
- ælf - elf (Aelfwine, Alfred)
- æðel - noble (Ethelred, Albert, Adolph, Æthelhard, Adelaide, Attila)
- bliþ - cheerful
- ceol - keel, ship
- coen - fierce
- cuþ - renowned (Cuthbert)
- cwic - alive
- ead - rich (Edwin, Edgar, Edmund, Edward)
- eald - old
- earn - eagle
- ecg - sword (Ecgbald)
- fri - free
- gold - gold
- hæm, holm - home
- hæþ - heath
- heah - illustrious
- hlud - fame (Chlodwig, Chlodomir, Chlodoswintha)
- hreþ - victory
- hroþ- fame (Robert, Roderick, Rodney, Roland, Hrothgar)
- hyg - couragous
- iaru - prepared
- ing - (Ingrid)
- leof - desirable, friendly (Leofwine)
- liut - people (Lutold, Liutger, Liutgard)
- os - god
- od - wealth (Odomir, Otto)
- raþ - clever
- seax - sword
- wig - battle (Wiglaf, Wigbert)
- þeod - people (Theodoric, Diether, Diethelm, Detlef, Theobald, Dietlinde, Dietfried, Theudebert)
suffixes:
- bald - bold (Theobald)
- beorn - warrior
- brand - sword (Hildebrand, Theudebrand)
- ferþ - mind, soul, life, person
- flæð (f.) - beauty (Aethelflaed)
- gard (f.) - enclosure (Hildegard, Liutgart)
- gar - spear (Edgar, Hrothgar)
- gifu - gift
- gyþ - war
- helm - protector
- hun - young bear
- lid - gentle
- laf - survivor, heir (Wiglaf, Herleif, Detlef)
- mund - hand, protection (Edmund)
- noþ - courage (Byrhtnoth)
- ræð - counsel, wisdom (Alfred, Tancred)
- stan - stone
- swinþ - strength
- þryþ - force
- walh - foreign
- weald - power (Edwald)
- weard - guardian (Edward])
- wine - friend (Aelfwine, Leofwine, Edwin, Erwin, Marvin)
- wyn - joy
Literature
- Kitson, P. R. (2002). How Anglo-Saxon personal names work. Nomina, 24, 93.
- Robinson, F. C. (1968). The significance of names in old English literature. Anglia, 86, 14–58.
- Wyld, H. C. (1910). Old Scandinavian personal names in England. Modern Language Review, 5, 289–296.
- Woolf, H. B. (1939). The old Germanic principles of name-giving. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press.
- Olof von Feilitzen, The Pre-conquest Personal Names of Domesday Book (1937).
See also
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Beowulf/List_of_Names
External links
- Germanic names (behindthename.com)
- Old Norse Names (vikinganswerlady.com)
- Names in the Low Lands before 1150 (.keesn.nl)
- Gothic and Suevic Names in Galicia (NW Spain) before 1200 (celtiberia.net)
