Baby Name: Hugh

The name Charlemagne — French for Carolus Magnus, or “Carl the strong” — debuted on the girls’ list last year, strangely.

Let’s celebrate this weirdness by checking out what the King of the Franks named his own kids.

Historians believe Charlemagne had about 20 children with various wives and concubines. His first child was born around 768 and his last came along in 807.

Here are the names of Charlemagne’s 11 daughters:

• Adalhaid – based on the Germanic words adal meaning “noble” and heid meaning “sort, kind.”
• Adaltrude – based on the Germanic words adal meaning “noble” and þruþ meaning “strength.”
• Alpaida – ?
• Amaudru – ?
• Bertha – based on the Germanic word berht meaning “bright” or “famous.”
• Gisela – based on the Germanic word gisil meaning “pledge.”
• Hildegarde – based on the Germanic words hild meaning “battle” and gard meaning “enclosure.”
• Hiltrude – based on the Germanic words hild meaning “battle” and þruþ meaning “strength.”
• Rotrude, also written Hruodrud – based on the Germanic words hrod meaning “fame” and þruþ meaning “strength.”
• Ruodhaid – based on the Germanic words hrod meaning “fame” and heid meaning “sort, kind.”
• Theodrada – based on the Germanic words þeud meaning “people, race” and rat meaning “advice, counsel.”

And here are the names of Charlemagne’s 9 sons:

• Carloman, later renamed Pepin/Pippin – the first based on the Germanic words karl meaning “free man” and man meaning “man,” the second of unknown origin, possibly based on the Germanic root bib-, meaning “to tremble.”
• Charles – based on the Germanic word karl meaning “free man.”
• Drogo – of unknown origin, possibly based on the Germanic word (gi)drog meaning “ghost,” the Germanic word tragen meaning “to carry,” or the Slavic word dorogo meaning “dear.”
• Hugh – based on the Germanic word hug meaning “heart, mind, spirit.”
• Lothair (twin) – based on the Germanic words hrod meaning “fame” and hari meaning “army.”
• Louis (twin) – based on the Germanic words hrod meaning “fame” and wig meaning “war.”
• Pippin – see Carloman.
• Richbod – based on the Germanic words ric meaning “power, ruler” and bod meaning “ruler” or “messenger.”
• Theodoric – based on the Germanic words þeud meaning “people, race” and ric meaning “power, ruler.”

Which of the above name(s) do you like best?

(And, does anyone know the etymology of either Alpaida or Amaudru? I’m stumped on those.)

Sources:

• BOD – Nordic Names Wiki
• Charlemagne – Wikipedia
• Hanks, Patrick, Kate Hardcastle and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of First Names. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.

Image: Charlemagne denier Mayence 812-814