&sq=Albert Einstein&lang=en&file=File:BayeuxTapestryScene13(crop2).jpg) Depiction of the Anglo-Saxon king Harold Godwinson on the Bayeux Tapestry | |
| Gender | Male and one time female |
|---|---|
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Proto-Germanic, via Old English and Old Norse |
| Meaning | Military-Power or Army-Ruler[1] |
| Region of origin | England |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Harald (German and Continental Scandinavian), Haraldur (Icelandic), Haroldo (Spanish, Portuguese), Aroldo (Italian)[2] |
Harold is an English personal name. The modern name Harold ultimately derives from the Proto-Germanic *harja-waldaz, meaning 'military-power' or 'army-ruler'. The name entered Modern English via the Old English from Hereweald, which retained the same meaning and was prevalent in Anglo-Saxon England. The name's popularity in Viking Age England would also have been bolstered by the use of the Old Norse form Haraldr among Scandinavian settlers in the Danelaw.[3]
- ^ Patrick Hanks, Kate Hardcastle , and Flavia Hodges, eds., A Dictionary of First Names, 2 ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006), p. 157.
- ^ "Meaning, origin and history of the name Harold".
- ^ Patrick Hanks, Kate Hardcastle , and Flavia Hodges, eds., A Dictionary of First Names, 2 ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006), p. 157.