Germanic names, inherited from the Suevi (who settled in Gallaecia: modern Galicia and northern Portugal in 409 AD), Visigoths, Vandals, Franks and other Germanic peoples, were often the most common Galician-Portuguese names during the early and high Middle Ages. This article deals with Germanic personal names recorded and used in Galicia, northern Portugal and its adjoining regions: territories of the kingdom of the Suebi during the early Middle Ages from its 409 settlement to the 12th century. "(...) Igitur dum inter nos intemptio uertitur ad diuidendum mancipia de parentorum nostrorum Guntine et Rosule de neptos senatoris Siserici et Esmorice et de suos iermanos. Ideo que euenit in portione de filios Gunterodis, id est: Argiuitus, Gentibus, Tratiuigia, Recedrudi, Gaudiosus, Tequelo, Iulia, filios Stanildi, Sitiuidis, Gluscudilum, Framildi, Ruderigus, Sonobrida, Sabarigis, Argeleuba, Ostosia, Guntedrudia, Uitiza et Leuba, Guntildi, Iulia, Ragesindus, Sanildi cum sua filia Ermegundia, Seniorina, Uisteuerga, Sisulfus, Branderigus, Astruildi (...)" Germanic and Latin names in a 10th-century Galician document.In Colección Diplomática de Galicia Histórica. Santiago (1901), p. 225-226.
Germanic names
Germanic names were the most common personal names in Galicia-Portugal during the early and high Middle Ages, surpassing Christian and Roman names in number and popularity.Boullón Agrelo (1999) p. 81-83. The names, primarily of East Germanic origin, were used by the Suebi, Goths, Vandals and Burgundians. With the names, the Galicians inherited the Germanic onomastic system; a person used one name (sometimes a nickname or alias), with no surname, occasionally adding a patronymic. More than 1,000 such names have been preserved in local records.Cf. Boullón Agrelo (1999) p. 98-101. and in local toponyms.A few thousand Galician and Portuguese toponyms derive from the genitive form of a Germanic anthroponym. Cf. Sachs (1932).
Many of the Germanic names were composite, with the second element usually a noun with the same gender of the bearer. Others were hypocorisms formed from a composite name or deriving from it.Cf. Searle (1897). p. xii-xiv. Less frequently, a name was a noun or an adjective.
These names were transmitted to the Suevi with the usual Germanic rules of inheritance,Cf. George T. Flom (1917) Alliteration and Variation in Old Germanic Name-Giving, in Modern Language Notes Vol. 32, No. 1 (Jan., 1917), pp. 7-17 which were variations (passing one element of the name; Rechiar was the son of Rechila, who was the son of Hermeric) and alliteration (names beginning with the same sound; Maldras was the son of the nobleman Masila). Full names were later transmitted from grandfather to grandson (commemoration), following a trend common until the present in most of western Europe.
Adaptations In addition to the conversion of many Germanic endings into Romance or Latin endings, the names had phonetic adaptationsCf. Sachs (1932) p. 14-23. such as the change of word stress from the first to the penultimate syllable, the conversion of most [þ] into [t] or [d] and the conversion of [h] into [k] before a consonant. [W] was initially preserved, although noted as [u] or [oy] before becoming [gw] (or, less commonly, [b]). These early inherited names underwent Western Romance and Galician changes from Latin, such as consonant lenition and palatalization. This contributed to a large number of variants in recorded names; Ostrofredus was recorded in Galicia-Portugal as Ortofredus, Ostofredo, Ostouredus, Ostrofedone, Stobredo and Strofredo.Cf. Boullón Agrelo (1999) p. 342; and Rivas Quintas (1991) p. 242.
Names used by the Suevi The following names, used by the Suevi of Gallaecia during the fifth and sixth centuries, were recorded in chronicles, inscriptions and acts of local ecclesiastical councils: Hermericus, Heremigarius, Rechila, Rechiarius, Agiulfus, Maldras, Massila, Framta, Frumarius, Rechimundus, Remismundus, Veremundus, Chararicus, Ariamirus, Ildericus, Theudomirus, Miro, Nitigisius, Uittimer, Anila, Remisol, Adoricus, Eboricus, Siseguntia f, Audeca, Malaricus, Pantardus, Neufila, Hildemirus, Commundus, Ermaricus, Sunila, Becila, Gardingus, Argiovitus, Gomedei, Rudemirus, Ermengontia f, Remisiwera f, Thuresmuda f, Suinthiliuba f.
Many of the names, used by kings such as Miro, Rechila and Theudemirus, were used for local toponyms: Mirón,Piel (1937) p. 48. Requián, Requiás and Receá,Piel (1939) p. 79. Tuimil and Toimil.Sachs (1932) p. 95-96.
Roots
The following is a list of the roots used to form Germanic personal names in Galicia-Portugal and northwestern Iberia. Many are related to war, victory, fame, boldness, strength and warlike qualities (bald-, funs-, hild-, gund-, nand-, rod-, seg-, send-), totemic animals (ar-, wulf-, ber-, ebur-) and weapons (brand-, bruni-, rand-, saru-); many others refer to knowledge, love and other peaceful qualities (fred-, leob-, mun-, ragi-, rad-, uin-). Some refer to the condition of ruler or master (fro-, ric-, vald-, Froya, Theodinus, Tructinus, Hendinus). Another group refers to the tribe, nation or country (conia-, fulc-, teod-, leod-, man-, truct-, gavi-, gogi-, kend-), and another appears to refer to Huns (Hun-), Suevi (Sav-), Goths (Gut-), Vandals (Vandal-), Celts (Vala-), Vendians/Slavs (Venet-), Galindians/Balths (Galind-), Franks (Frank-), Saxons (Sax-), Angles (Engl-), Danes (Dan-) and other peoples. Although some elements are identical to others found in Celtic anthroponymy (And-, Dag-, -mar, -riks), others appear to be adaptations of Latin words and names incorporated in the Danube region: Florens, Fortis, Crescens.
Forms marked with an asterisk are unrecorded and hypothetical. PGmc is an abbreviation for Proto-Germanic.