Submitted Name Revision History

The meaning and origin of the first element is rather uncertain: we know that it comes from #angil#, but we don't exactly know where #angil# itself comes from. But there are a few possibilities. It might be an extended form of the element #ang#, which is derived from Old High German #ango# "prickle, thorn, sting" or #encho# "servant, lad, boy." The Angles, a Germanic tribe, might have derived their name from that element (so, #angil# might also refer to the Angles). An other possibility is that #angil# is an extended form of the element #ingvi#, which refers to the Norse god ING or even to the Ingaevones, a Germanic tribe mentioned by Tacitus in his "Germania." Especially forms like Ingeltrud remind one of that. And last but not least, #angil# might even be related to Gallic #eingeal# "light." The second element in this name is derived from #þruþ# "strength."