List of Frisian Given Names
Encyclopedia
There are very few surviving early Mediaeval
Frisia
n given names. Surviving texts in Old Frisian
date only from the second half of the 13th century.
A document that dates to around the year 900 and dealing with the rents due to Werden abbey
lists several names. The abbey was located on the Ruhr river near modern Essen
. This was near the western edge of Saxon
territory. To the west were the Franks
, and to the north, the Frisians. The abbey held land in all three linguistic areas, and its tenants included native speakers of Old Saxon
, Old Low Franconian, and Old Frisian
. It is unclear how the names were identified as being Frisian. Old Saxon scribal tradition may have impacted the spellings of the names. However, they are thought to be compatible with Frisian dialect
characteristics.
Surnames
were not common in Continental Europe
an documents of this period. It would be very much in keeping with Frisian practice in this period to use just a single name.
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
Frisia
Frisia
Frisia is a coastal region along the southeastern corner of the North Sea, i.e. the German Bight. Frisia is the traditional homeland of the Frisians, a Germanic people who speak Frisian, a language group closely related to the English language...
n given names. Surviving texts in Old Frisian
Old Frisian
Old Frisian is a West Germanic language spoken between the 8th and 16th centuries in the area between the Rhine and Weser on the European North Sea coast. The Frisian settlers on the coast of South Jutland also spoke Old Frisian but no medieval texts of this area are known...
date only from the second half of the 13th century.
A document that dates to around the year 900 and dealing with the rents due to Werden abbey
Werden Abbey
Werden Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Essen-Werden , situated on the Ruhr.- The foundation of the abbey :Near Essen Saint Ludger founded a monastery in 799 and became its first abbot. The little church which Saint Ludger built here in honor of Saint Stephen was completed in 804 and dedicated...
lists several names. The abbey was located on the Ruhr river near modern Essen
Essen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
. This was near the western edge of Saxon
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
territory. To the west were the Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
, and to the north, the Frisians. The abbey held land in all three linguistic areas, and its tenants included native speakers of Old Saxon
Old Saxon
Old Saxon, also known as Old Low German, is the earliest recorded form of Low German, documented from the 8th century until the 12th century, when it evolved into Middle Low German. It was spoken on the north-west coast of Germany and in the Netherlands by Saxon peoples...
, Old Low Franconian, and Old Frisian
Old Frisian
Old Frisian is a West Germanic language spoken between the 8th and 16th centuries in the area between the Rhine and Weser on the European North Sea coast. The Frisian settlers on the coast of South Jutland also spoke Old Frisian but no medieval texts of this area are known...
. It is unclear how the names were identified as being Frisian. Old Saxon scribal tradition may have impacted the spellings of the names. However, they are thought to be compatible with Frisian dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
characteristics.
Surnames
Family name
A family name is a type of surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs. The use of family names is widespread in cultures around the world...
were not common in Continental Europe
Continental Europe
Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....
an documents of this period. It would be very much in keeping with Frisian practice in this period to use just a single name.