Names in pre=Norman times
Jenny Joyce
I notice that with early names (particularly pre-Norman names) there is a
great variation in the spelling of names. Yes, I understand about phonetic
spelling, but this goes beyond that. Some examples are
1. Ecgfrida / Ecgive / Egfrid - daughter of Aldun, Bishop of Durham,
wife of Uchtred Earl of Northumbria
2. Edith / Eldgyth / Aldgitha / Aelgitha / Algitha - daughter of
aforesaid Uchtred
3. Eadulf / Edwulf - son of Uchtred
4. Siward / Sigurd - Earl of Northumbria
Are there any guidelines that I can use to determine which variant I should
put as the primary name, like an accepted spelling, or a modernised version
of the name, etc
Thanks in advance
Jenny Joyce
Hovite
There is no easy solution. The names vary between different periods
and kingdoms. Documents often contain errors or variants.
The Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England standardizes thusly:
Ælf- (first element)
Æsc-
Æthel- will be used, and not Oethel-, Æthil-, or Aedil-
Beadu-
Beag-
Beald-
Beorht- will be used as a first element.
-berht is to be preferred as a second element for English names
(However, for Continental names -bert will be used instead).
Beorn-
Bil-
Blith-
Bot-
-burg rather than –burh should be used as a second element for female
names as in Cyneburg.
Cen- is the form to choose for names such as Cenred, Cenwealh and so
on.
Ceol-
-ceorl
Cuth-
Cwen-
Cyne- is probably to be preferred as a first element in such names as
Cyneburg, although we need to seek advice on this one. (Should it be
Cyn-?)
Ead- should be used, although exceptions include: Edgar, Edwin,
Edward, Edmund and so on
Eald- (exception Aldhelm?)
Ealh-
Ealu-
-eald will be kept as a second element, except in Æthelbald, Willibald
etc.
Ean-
Eard-
Ecg- will be used as a first element (and not Eg-). Example: Ecgberht
Egil-
Eorcen-
Eostor-
-flæd will be used as a second element (not –fleda). Example:
Æthelflæd
Folch-
Forth-
Freo-
-frith (second element)
Fritho-?/Frith-?/Frithe-?/Frithu-?
Gar-, -gar
-gifu should be preferred to –giefu in female names
-gils
Guth-
-gyth (f.) should usually be employed. Exception: Edith
-hæth
-heah
Heathu-
-helm
Heard- and -heard for Old English names, whereas Old Germanic names
will have Hard- and –hard
Here-, -here
-hild
Hilde-
Hleow-
Hreth-
Hroth-
Hun-, -hun
Hwæt-
Hyge-
In-
-laf
Land-
Leod-
Leof-
Mæg-
Mægen-
-mann
-mod
-mund
Os-
Peoht-
Pend-
Pleg-
-red should be used as a second element (Æthelred), but Ræd- should be
preferred as a first element (as in Rædwald)
-ric
Sæ-
-sceat
-sige should be used as a second and a first element (Sige-) and not
Sy-
-stan
Streon-
Swith-, -swith
Tat-
-thegn
Thryth-, -thryth (f.) as a second element
Tid-
Til-
Tond-
Torht-
Tun-
-waru (f.)
Weald- has to be used as a first element, but –wald should be
preferred as a second element (except for Bishop Æthelwold, of the
Benedictional)
Wealh-, but -walh or -wealh?
-weard should be used as a second element. Exceptions include Edward
and Hereward.
Wearn-
Wær-?
Wig- and –wig should be used instead of wi or wih
With- not Wioht-
-wine should be used in names such as Trumwine. Exception: Edwin
Wulf- and -wulf
Wynn- (f.) and -wynn
http://www.pase.ac.uk/content/database/help.html
Notice that they not entirely consistent!
Personally, I now prefer Elf- to Ælf- (the modern word is elf) and
Ethel- to Æthel- (as in Dame Ethel Smyth).
You should always avoid forms in -a. If they are female names, they
they merely represent spellings used by monks who were writing in
Latin, where -us and -a are the standard terminations for male and
female names. So, Godiva is an attempt to put Godgifu into Latin.
Male names ending with a double consonant and an -a are hypocoristic
forms (short forms, pet names, baby talk), and should be replaced by
the corresponding full name (long form). Offa of Mercia is remembered
by his short form name, but his father was Thingfrith, his only son
was Ecgfrith, and his own real name was Osfrith.
WJho...@aol.com
Alice, and so on. Other like to use what you might call the "romanized" Old
English, which is a sort of substition of the characters actually used (which
some can't be written using our 26 characters). Some of the alphabet used,
has fallen out of use, and has such a different pronunciation that we can't
replicate that using a single character.
And then you probably have a smattering of linguists bickering about what
the pronunciation *should* be and creating other variant spellings.
I tend to enter these in my database like "Aldgyth (Edith) (Eadlgith) of
England"
to represent a preferred spelling (my own choice) and then alternate
spellings as well in parenthesis. So when I find someone referred to in a variant
way, I can at least identify which daughter or spouse or proposed alternate
father is being mentioned.
If you don't have this method available to enter alternate spellings, then
at least put it into your notes on the person.
Will
Jenny Joyce
Jenny Joyce
> �lf- (first element)
> �sc-
> �thel- will be used, and not Oethel-, �thil-, or Aedil-
> -eald will be kept as a second element, except in �thelbald, Willibald
> etc.
> Ean-
> Eard-
> Ecg- will be used as a first element (and not Eg-). Example: Ecgberht
> Egil-
> Eorcen-
> Eostor-
> -fl�d will be used as a second element (not �fleda). Example:
> �thelfl�d
> Folch-
> Forth-
> Freo-
> -frith (second element)
> Fritho-?/Frith-?/Frithe-?/Frithu-?
> Gar-, -gar
> -gifu should be preferred to �giefu in female names
> -gils
> Guth-
> -gyth (f.) should usually be employed. Exception: Edith
> -h�th
> -heah
> Heathu-
> -helm
> Heard- and -heard for Old English names, whereas Old Germanic names
> will have Hard- and �hard
> Here-, -here
> -hild
> Hilde-
> Hleow-
> Hreth-
> Hroth-
> Hun-, -hun
> Hw�t-
> Hyge-
> In-
> -laf
> Land-
> Leod-
> Leof-
> M�g-
> M�gen-
> -mann
> -mod
> -mund
> Os-
> Peoht-
> Pend-
> Pleg-
> -red should be used as a second element (�thelred), but R�d- should be
> preferred as a first element (as in R�dwald)
> -ric
> S�-
> -sceat
> -sige should be used as a second and a first element (Sige-) and not
> Sy-
> -stan
> Streon-
> Swith-, -swith
> Tat-
> -thegn
> Thryth-, -thryth (f.) as a second element
> Tid-
> Til-
> Tond-
> Torht-
> Tun-
> -waru (f.)
> Weald- has to be used as a first element, but �wald should be
> preferred as a second element (except for Bishop �thelwold, of the
> Benedictional)
> Wealh-, but -walh or -wealh?
> -weard should be used as a second element. Exceptions include Edward
> and Hereward.
> Wearn-
> W�r-?
> Wig- and �wig should be used instead of wi or wih
> With- not Wioht-
> -wine should be used in names such as Trumwine. Exception: Edwin
> Wulf- and -wulf
> Wynn- (f.) and -wynn
>
> http://www.pase.ac.uk/content/database/help.html
>
> Notice that they not entirely consistent!
>
> Personally, I now prefer Elf- to �lf- (the modern word is elf) and
> Ethel- to �thel- (as in Dame Ethel Smyth).
>
> You should always avoid forms in -a. If they are female names, they
> they merely represent spellings used by monks who were writing in
> Latin, where -us and -a are the standard terminations for male and
> female names. So, Godiva is an attempt to put Godgifu into Latin.
>
> Male names ending with a double consonant and an -a are hypocoristic
> forms (short forms, pet names, baby talk), and should be replaced by
> the corresponding full name (long form). Offa of Mercia is remembered
> by his short form name, but his father was Thingfrith, his only son
> was Ecgfrith, and his own real name was Osfrith.
>
> -------------------------------
> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to GEN-MEDIEVAL-
> req...@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in
> the subject and the body of the message
>
taf
One more thing to be aware of. Some of these 'alternative spellings'
are just mistakes, plain and simple. Take your first example.
Ecgfrida and Egfrid represent the same name (Ecg- and -fryth), but
Ecgive (Ecg- and -gifu) is an entirely different name. Likewise Edith
(i.e. Eadgyth) is distinct from Ealdgyth, and also from Aelgitha
(which is a late form of AEthelgyth). It should also be remembered
that many of the scribes and chroniclers on whom we rely were not
English, and as such sometimes confused name forms that to the English
were as distinct as Roger and Robert were to the Normans.
taf
John Watson
And one also must remember that medieval clerks often wrote for
variety rather than correctness. It is not unusual to find the same
person's name spelled two, or even three, different ways in the same
document.
Regards,
John