Traditional Forenames As a Response of Far History
We continue the publication of a research regarding the origin of European patronymics widely used at present. This part is devoted to names that came from distant past.
• Ancient Mainland Germanic: Some widely known names, that are William, Robert, Richard, Roger, Geoffrey, Guy, Hugh, and Matilda – every of those have settled ties in German, Dutch, French, and other linguas – borne in Germanic pre-history. It is possible to utilize translation agency Poland to find more. Names reached English by a shaded way. The official language of the court of the Merovingian and Carolingian Franks (5th – 9th centuries) was Latin, but their vernacular language was a Germanic variation, and their personal names were predominantly of Germanic origin. These Frankish personal names became set-up in ancient France and in due time were picked up by the Vikings who lived in Normandy in the 9th century. Upon the Norman invasion of England in 1066, these given names were brought to England, where they noticeably pushed out usual Anglo-Saxon personal names like Ethelred and Athelthryth. A very insignificant Anglo-Saxon personal names preserved, for example Edward, that was originated by King Edward the Confessor (c. 1002–1066; ruled 1042–1066), the offspring of an Anglo-Saxon man and a Viking mother, who was revered by Anglo-Saxons and Vikings alike. A quite different situation is that of Alfred, an Anglo-Saxon name that fell out from use under the Normans, but was revived in the 19th century in commemoration of the famous 9th-century king of Wessex.
• Ancient Norse: Ancient Norse is, of course, a Germanic language, but its naming custom is quite original from that of continental Germanic, and many usual Norse forenames are currently used in Scandinavia today, for example Olaf, Harald, Hakon. There has been much brought from German (e.g., Helga, Ingeborg). Several Nordic names such as Ingrid have been adopted much more widely. Many looked for language service into Slavic. In the latter situation, the film celebrity Ingrid Bergman (1915–1982) was a powerful influence.
• Old Slavic languages: Names such as Wojciech (Vojteˇch), BogusLaw (Bohuslav), and StanisLaw (Stanislav) are hardly known in the English-speaking world except within Slavic immigrants, but demonstrate a vital and independent Slavic tradition, with cognates in different Slavic languages. Many such names are pre-Christian, whereas others have been sanctified by use as a saint’s name. Except where a saint has been involved, these names are not widely used in Russia, because there the Orthodox Church has strongly insisted on using names associated with Christian saints, such as Fyodor (Theodore) and Dmitri. These are predominately of Greek etymology. Among the Western Slavs (Poles, Czechs, Slovaks) and Southern Slavs (Serbs, Croatians, Slovenians, Bulgarians, etc.), each linguistic community of Slavic natives has its own characteristic list of traditional given names, majority of which are of Slavic etymology.
• Ancient Mainland Germanic: Some widely known names, that are William, Robert, Richard, Roger, Geoffrey, Guy, Hugh, and Matilda – every of those have settled ties in German, Dutch, French, and other linguas – borne in Germanic pre-history. It is possible to utilize translation agency Poland to find more. Names reached English by a shaded way. The official language of the court of the Merovingian and Carolingian Franks (5th – 9th centuries) was Latin, but their vernacular language was a Germanic variation, and their personal names were predominantly of Germanic origin. These Frankish personal names became set-up in ancient France and in due time were picked up by the Vikings who lived in Normandy in the 9th century. Upon the Norman invasion of England in 1066, these given names were brought to England, where they noticeably pushed out usual Anglo-Saxon personal names like Ethelred and Athelthryth. A very insignificant Anglo-Saxon personal names preserved, for example Edward, that was originated by King Edward the Confessor (c. 1002–1066; ruled 1042–1066), the offspring of an Anglo-Saxon man and a Viking mother, who was revered by Anglo-Saxons and Vikings alike. A quite different situation is that of Alfred, an Anglo-Saxon name that fell out from use under the Normans, but was revived in the 19th century in commemoration of the famous 9th-century king of Wessex.
• Ancient Norse: Ancient Norse is, of course, a Germanic language, but its naming custom is quite original from that of continental Germanic, and many usual Norse forenames are currently used in Scandinavia today, for example Olaf, Harald, Hakon. There has been much brought from German (e.g., Helga, Ingeborg). Several Nordic names such as Ingrid have been adopted much more widely. Many looked for language service into Slavic. In the latter situation, the film celebrity Ingrid Bergman (1915–1982) was a powerful influence.
• Old Slavic languages: Names such as Wojciech (Vojteˇch), BogusLaw (Bohuslav), and StanisLaw (Stanislav) are hardly known in the English-speaking world except within Slavic immigrants, but demonstrate a vital and independent Slavic tradition, with cognates in different Slavic languages. Many such names are pre-Christian, whereas others have been sanctified by use as a saint’s name. Except where a saint has been involved, these names are not widely used in Russia, because there the Orthodox Church has strongly insisted on using names associated with Christian saints, such as Fyodor (Theodore) and Dmitri. These are predominately of Greek etymology. Among the Western Slavs (Poles, Czechs, Slovaks) and Southern Slavs (Serbs, Croatians, Slovenians, Bulgarians, etc.), each linguistic community of Slavic natives has its own characteristic list of traditional given names, majority of which are of Slavic etymology.
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