History of Christian names

by Charlotte M. Yonge

Ortvin the truchsess, had his namesake in the Lombard Audoin father to Alboin, also, in the Frank Audwine, blessed by St. Columbanus, beloved by St. Eligius, and bishop of Rouen, whose loveliest church is that of St. Audoenus, now transformed by French lips into St. Ouen. And, at home, we hail the same ‘rich friend’ in Eadwine, the first Christian king of Northumbria, whose conversion is the most striking portion of Bede’s history. His dominion extended over the Lothians, and he disputes with Aodh and the Ædui the naming of Edinburgh. Beloved as he was, his name of Edwin never entirely died away, and became in modern times diffused by the popularity of Goldsmith’s ballad, and of Beattie’s Minstrel. It is just known upon the Continent. Ortwin, or Audoenius, is very possibly the Don Ordoño of the early Spanish kingdoms; but Germany has chiefly dealt in the independent Odvin. Edwin, in spite of Mr. Taylor’s tragedy of Edwin the Fair, is not the same as Edwy, namely Eadwig, rich war, a name well remembered for the unhappy fate of the owner.

Odoacer, as the Romans called him, who was put to death by Theodoric, was properly Audvakr, treasure watcher; not quite the same as the Germanic Ottokar, or Ortgar, happy spear, which is identical with our familiar Eadgar, or Edgar. This name, after being laid to rest with the Anglo-Saxon monarchy, came to life again with the taste for antiques; and Edgar Ravenswood, in his operatic character, has brought Edgar and Edgardo.

Eadmund, or happy protection, is one of our most English names, belonging to the king of East Anglia, who, as the first victim of the Danes, became the patron saint of Bury St. Edmund’s, and the subject of various legends. The sudden deaths of Sweyn, and afterwards of Eustace de Blois, when engaged in ravaging his shrine, made him be regarded as an efficient protector; and Henry III., when he had the good taste to make his sons Englishmen, christened the second after this national saint, so that Edmunds were always to be found in the House of Plantagenet, and thence among the nobility and the whole nation. The Irish called it Emmon, the Danes adopted it as Jatmund, in addition to their own Oddmund, the French occasionally use it as Edmond, and Italy knows it as Edmondo.

The most really noted of all our own genuine appellations is, however, Eadvard, the rich guardian. It comes to light in our royal line with the son of Alfred, and won the popular love for the sake of the young king whom St. Dunstan and the English called the martyr, in their pity for his untimely fate. And again, little as ‘the Confessor’[Confessor’] had been loved in his feeble lifetime, enthusiastic affection attached to him as the last native sovereign; while, on the one hand, it was the policy of the Norman kings to regard him as their natural predecessor, and of the barons to appeal to the laws that had prevailed in his time. All parties thus were ready to elect St. Edward to be the patron saint of England, and, in the ardour of embellishing his foundation of Westminster Abbey, it was natural to give his name to the heir of the crown, afterwards ‘the greatest of the Plantagenets.’ The deaths of his three children bearing Norman or Spanish names confirmed this as the royal name, and the third king so called spread it far and wide. It was carried by his granddaughter to Portugal, and there had its honour so well sustained by her noble son, as there to find another home; and with us it has recurred continually in every rank.

The contraction Neddy, common to all of these, is one of the titles of a donkey.

English.	Welsh.	French.	Italian.
Edward	Jorwarth	Edouard	Odoardo
Neddy	Irish.
Teddy	Eudbaird
Portuguese.	German.	Nor.	Netherlands.
Duarte	Eduard	Jaward	Ede
	Oddward	Audvard

The other less celebrated parallel varieties are:—

Eng. Eadbald—Rich Prince
Eng. Eadburh—Rich pledge
Eng. Eadburge; Nor. Oddbjorg; Ger. Edburge—Rich protection
Eng. Eadbryht—Rich splendour
Eng. Eadfrith; Ger. Otfrid; Prov. Audafrei—Rich peace
Eng. Eadfled; Fr. Audofled—Rich increase
	Nor.	German.
	Oddgrim Audgrim	Ortgrim	}	Rich helmet
Nor. Odgisl—Rich pledge
Nor.	German.	French.
Audgunnr Ougunna Augunna	Oddgund	Augen	}	Rich war
Nor. Odkel, Odkatla—Rich[Rich] kettle
Fr. Authaire—Rich warrior
Oddlaug—Rich liquor
Nor. Oddleif; Ger. Ortleip, Ortleib—Rich relic
Eng. Eadmar; Nor. Odmar; Ger. Otmar—Rich greatness
Nor. Oddny—Rich freshness
Eng. Eadred—Rich council
Eng. Eadric, Edric; Ital. Odorico—Rich king
English.	Nor.	German.
Eadulf	Odulf Oulf	Oddulf Ortwulf	}	Rich wolf
	English.	German.
	Eadwald Edwald	Edvald Odvald	}	Rich power.

Eadswith, Eadgifu, and Eadgyth, all once separate names, together with Adelgifu and Ælfgifu, seem to have been all mixed up together by the Normans. Eadgyth was undoubtedly the name of Earl Godwin’s daughter, of whom Ingulf said, ‘Sicut spina rosam, genuit Godwinus Egitham;’ but in the roll of her lands in Domesday, she is Eddeva, Eddid, and Edeva, and for some little time Edeva seems to have been used among the Normans, though the queen of Henry I. was not allowed to retain anything so Saxon. Aline and Edith were used in a few families, but Edith survived the others.

Giav or give is not a very common commencement; but in the Vilkina Saga, King Gjuko is the father of Gunnar and Gudrun, and the whole family are called Giukungr. In German, in the Book of Heroes, he is Gibicho, and there was really a historical Burgundian King Gibica, mentioned as a law-giver; but in the Nibelungen-nôt, Gibich is only a vassal king of Etzel’s. The North had Gjaflaug, liquor giver, no doubt the Hebe of the Norse banquets, Gjavvald, in German, Gevald, and perhaps Gabilo and Gavele, the Gebelius of Latinists. Germany had likewise Gebahard, a firm or perhaps a strong giver, which still survives under the unpromising sound of Gebhard.