Submitted Name Revision History

This given name is best known for being the name of a 7th-century saint, who was bishop of the city of Besançon in eastern France and died in 624 AD. The meaning of the saint's name, which was often latinized to PROTHADIUS in writing, is uncertain. One source states that it is derived from Latin protestatus meaning "testified, protested". Also compare the Roman cognomen PRAETEXTATUS, which is similar in appearance. An other source states that the name is of Greek origin and that it consists of Greek πρῶτος (protos) meaning "first" and Greek ἀϊδής (aides) or (haides) meaning "unseen, invisible" (see HADES).

There is also a possibility that the name Prothade is of Gaulish origin, since during the saint's lifetime, there was a Gaulish aristocrat by the name of Protade (also known as Protades and Protadius), who was the lover of queen Brunhilda of Austrasia up until his death in 605 or 606 AD. In fact, saint Prothade could even have been related to this Gaulish aristocrat, since it is said that the saint's father was a member of the court of king Theuderic II, who was the grandson of the aforementioned Brunhilda of Austrasia.

With that said, another known bearer of the given name Prothade was the French count and counter admiral Hippolyte of Astorg (1759-1828), whose full name was Jacques Pierre Prothade Hippolyte of Astorg.