Gender Feminine
Other Forms FormsMatasuentha, Matasuintha, Matasuntha, Mataswintha
Meaning & History
The meaning and origin of the first element is rather uncertain: we know that it comes from mâtha but we don't exactly know where mâtha itself comes from. It is probably derived from Gallic matu "good" or from Anglo-Saxon maedh "honour, respect." It might also be a blend of one of the aforementioned elements with mahti "power" or Gothic mathl "meeting place." The second element in this Germanic name is derived from Gothic svinths (swind in Old High German) "strength." Mathaswintha lived in the 6th century AD and was a daughter of the Ostrogothic queen Amalaswintha and her husband Eutharic.