Gender Masculine
Usage Germanic
Meaning & History
The first element of this Gothic name is derived from Gothic alls "all" or from Gothic alhs (alah in Old High German) "temple." The etymology of the second element is uncertain; it may be derived from Gothic qvivs "alive, living". It could also have been derived from Gothic weihan "to battle, to combat" (which is ultimately derived from Proto-Germanic wigwó or wihwó "battle"), which would then make this name a cognate or a variant of Alawig. Last but not least, it could also have been derived from Latin vivus "alive, living", thus making Alaviv name a hybrid Gothic-Latin name. Since this spelling of the name could possibly have been influenced by Latin, the original Gothic form of Alaviv may have been Alaweihs or Alaweigs or Alaweiws, but this is uncertain.