Sunday, January 14, 2018

Medieval World Tour--Germany

The world tour continues! We're heading to Germany next, still looking especially for names/forms that aren't still in use today (although some do survive as surnames).

Boys:
  • Asculf (AHSH-oolf ['oo' like in "foot"])--"spear-wolf"
  • Avo (AH-voh)--origin uncertain, poss. "desired" or "strength"
  • Berengar (BEH-ren-gar)--"bear-spear". Another form was Pernger (PEHRN-gehr). 
  • Bomund (BOH-moont ['oo' like in "foot"])--derivation unknown; after a legendary giant.
    Other forms included Boamund (BOH-ah-moont ['oo' like in "foot"]) and Bohemund (BOH-heh-moont ['oo' like in "foot"]). 
  • Eberwin (EH-behr-win)--"boar-friend"
  • Herimund (HEHR-im-oont ['oo' like in "foot"])--"army protection".
    Another form was Harimund (HAHR-im-oont ['oo' like in "foot"]). 
  • Herrand (HEHR-rahnt)--prob. "army shield-edge"
  • Herrich (HEHR-rikh)--"army ruler". Also spelled Herich
  • Isbrand (EEZ-brahnt)--"iron-fire"
  • Landrich (LAHN-drikh)--"land ruler" [probable source of the surname Landry]
  • Linhart (LIN-hart)--form of Leonard
  • Marculf (MAHR-koolf ['oo' like in "foot"])--"border-wolf"
  • Theodulf (TEH-oh-doolf ['oo' like in "foot"])--"people-wolf"
  • Wigher (WIG-her)--"battle-army"
  • Wilbrand (WIL-brahnt)--"will-fire" or poss. "will-sword"
  • Valten (VAHL-ten)--form of Valentine

Girls:
  • Aldegarde (ahl-deh-GAHR-deh)--"old protection"
  • Duretta (doo-RET-tah)--prob. form of Dorothea
  • Engelhaid (EN-gel-hide)--"angelic type". Also spelled Engelheid
  • Geilsind (GAYL-sind)--"merry path" or poss. "merry strength". Another form was Geilsinde (gayl-SIN-deh). 
  • Heidentrude (hay-den-TROO-deh)--prob. "heath-strength" or "heathen-strength"
  • Isentrud (EE-zen-trood)--prob. "iron-strength"
  • Richlind (RIKH-lind)--"gentle ruler". Another form was Richlinde (rikh-LIN-deh).
  • Wistrild (WIS-trild)--"west battle". Another form was Wistrilde (wis-TRIL-deh). 
I also came across a number of girls' names ending in -lin. Usually they appeared to be diminutives (poss. used as given names on their own), sometimes feminizations.
(there were quite a few boys' diminutives ending in -lin as well, e.g. Ullin from Ulrich and Bestlin from Sebastian, but I'm not lacking in boys' names!)
  • Aellin (from Adelheid/Alice?)
  • Annlin (from Anna)
  • Bettlin (from Elisabeth)
  • Elsslin (also from Elisabeth)
  • Engelin (from Engelhaid and other Engel-names)
  • Ennlin/Endlin (from Endres/Andrew?)
  • Gerlin (from Gertrude and other Ger-names)
  • Gretlin (from Margareta)
  • Ketlin (from Katherina)
  • Kunlin (from Cunigunde and other Cun-names, or poss. Conrad)
  • Marlin/Merlin (from Margareta)
  • Matzlin/Metzlin (? from Mathis or Mechthild/Matilda.....maybe??)
  • Neslin (from Agnes)
  • Riberlin (from Ribert?)

I know, this list is way shorter than the other MWT lists! Most of the names from medieval Germany I found were either still in recent use, or pretty hard to say in Modern English. :/

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