View Message

In early medieval times, the upper classes were thought - not only in Germany - to have the monopoly of admirable behaviour. A noble peasant would have been a contradiction in terms. In today's world, the nobility (where they still exist, eg the British House of Lords) no longer command unconditional respect and support; rather the reverse; so 'noble' has become a term used for behaviour, not ancestry: people don't hesitate to refer to a large and dignified dog as 'noble', but they are no longer surprised by ignoble behaviour on the part of titled people.

---

As for names with adal- as an element, they were up for grabs I suppose, though my guess is that they started in the upper classes and percolated downwards. Others will know more.