ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2317 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2317 ************************************ From: "Brian M. Scott" 9 Aug 2001 Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel! You asked for information on masculine Frisian names used in the Middle Ages and in particular between 800 and 1050. As you have found in your research, sources for early-period Frisian names are scarce. There's a good reason for this: there are some early Frisian names in Latin texts, but the oldest surviving connected texts in Old Frisian date only from the second half of the 13th century. [1] Our own resources for specifically Frisian names from that period are fairly slim, but we did find some from the 10th century. [2] In the following list the symbol <{dh}> stands for the letter edh, which looks like a backwards <6> with a small stroke through the upright part. The number in parentheses following each name is the page number where we found it in [2]. The starred names were recorded as parts of place-names, but we are confident that they were in contemporary use as personal names. Aitet (123 n. 3) Auutet (123 n. 3) Avin (68) Avo (68) Avuko (68) Avutet (68) Bavo (68) Bentet (123 n. 3) Bernhard (181) Blekulf (185) Blithulf (185) Boio (75) Brunhard (181) E{dh}elbern (8) E{dh}elulf (185) E{dh}elwi (38 n. 1) Egildag (127) Eilbern (127) Eilherd (181) Eilulf (185) Eilward (181) Eldei (127) Elderd (181) Elhard (181) Engilbald (163) Enhard (181) Entet (123 n. 3) Esulf (185) Euitet (123 n. 3) Euuerhard (181) Folcbald* (128) Folkbern (187 n. 3) Folkhard (181) Folkward (71) Frethirik (185) Frethold* (165) Frethuhard (181) Frethwi (8) Geldulf (185) Geltet (123 n. 3) Gerbald (68) Gerbrand (68) Gerbruht (8) Gerdeg (68) Gerhard (181) Gerold (68) Gerulf (68) Gerwar (7) Habo (128) Hathuward (7) Hebetet (123 n. 3) Helibad (8) Hobern (187 n. 3) Hoitet (123 n. 3) Hro{dh}hard (181) Hro{dh}ward (138) Liaftet (123 n. 3) Liudbad (69) Liudbald (69) Liudger (69) Liudgod (69) Liudulf (69) Liudward (181) Liuppo (128) Lubbiko (145) Meginbraht (125) Meginhard (181) Meginulf (185) Meintet (123 n. 3) Menbold (125) Menfrid (51) Menger (51) Menhard (181) Menhold (51) Meniko (71) Menold (165) Menward (181) Merulf (185) Miginward (181) Mentet (8) Popetet (123 n. 3) Rauantet (123 n. 3) Reginhard (181) Reinbern (187 n. 3) Renhard (181) Renward (181) Riklef (141) Rikwi (38 n. 1) Rodbern (187 n. 3) Salaco (127) Sibod (136) Sibraht (136) Sidei (8) Silef (141) Siward (181) Siwi (38 n. 1) Osno{dh} (8) Tadaco (70) Tado (70) Thancward (181) Thankbern (7) Thiadbold (163) Thiadbrund (8) Thiaddi (73) Thiaderd (181) Thiadulf (185) Thiadward (181) Thiadwi (38 n. 1) Thiedold (165) Thonkrik (8) Tiadi (73) Tiadward (71) Wambald (163) Wening (125) Wentet (123 n. 3) Wibad (126) Wibraht (126) Wibrund (126) Wiftet (123 n. 3) Wigbald (163) Wigerd (181) Wihard (181) Wilbrand (125) Wiltet (123 n. 3) The ultimate source of at least some of these names is a document that dates to the decades around the year 900 and deals with the rents due to the abbey of Werden. This abbey was located on the Ruhr river near modern Essen, near the western edge of Saxon territory. To the west were the Franks, and to the north, the Frisians. [3] The abbey held land in all three linguistic areas, and its tenants included native speakers of Old Saxon, Old Low Franconian, and Old Frisian. We do not know how these names were picked out as being Frisian; they may be names of tenants identified as living in the Frisian part of the abbey's holdings. The abbey's Old Saxon scribal tradition probably affected the way some names were recorded, but all of these are generally compatible with what we know of Frisian dialect characteristics. [4, 5] To these we can add from the same document , , , , and : while not known to have been the names of Frisians, they are all consistent with the Frisian dialect. So too is , which is found in the same location in 793. [6] Finally, the king of the Frisians in the late 7th and early 8th centuries was named . [7] In Continental European documents of your period, people are almost always known by a single name rather than the name and byname (like ) that became the norm throughout Europe in the later Middle Ages. Some nicknames have been preserved, but they were evidently for the most part very informal. [8] In particular, it would be very much in keeping with Frisian practice in your period to use just a single name. Sara L. Friedemann, Josh Mittleman, Lisa Theriot, and Brian Speer also contributed to this letter. We apologize for having been so slow to come up with any useful information and hope that you will nevertheless not hesitate to write us again if any part was unclear or if you have further questions. In particular, please write us again if you have questions about the likely pronunciation of any of these names in your period. For the Academy, Brian M. Scott 9 August 2001 ===== References and Notes: [1] Robinson, Orrin W. Old English and Its Closest Relatives (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1992); p. 181. By 'connected text' is meant anything more than isolated words and names. [2] Stark, Franz. Die Kosenamen der Germanen (Wiesbaden: Dr. Martin Sa"ndig oHG., 1967 [1868]); pp. 8, 181. [3] Robinson, p. 103 (map). [4] Tiefenbach, Heinrich. 'Schreibsprachliche und gentile Pra"gung von Personennamen im Werdener Urbar A', in _Nomen et Gens_, Dieter Geuenich, Wolfgang Haubrichs, & Jo"rg Jarnut, eds. (New York: Walter de Gruyter, 1997). [5] The name may show Old Saxon influence; would be more in keeping with the Frisian dialect. The Frisian form could be substituted for in any of the names beginning with that element (Tiefenbach, 273). We don't know whether the Frisians also used . [6] Tiefenbach, pp. 271, 272. , , and are inferred from place-names; is inferred from a Latin genitive case . [7] Robinson, p. 179. [8] Schwarz, Ernst. Deutsche Namenforschung. I: Ruf- und Familiennamen (Go"ttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1949): p. 63f.