Ermengard, Friedegard, Hildegard: Lovely or Terrible?

jls123 · October 11, 2015, 4:27pm

I like both [name_f]Tilda[/name_f] and [name_f]Matilda[/name_f]. I think [name_f]Swanhilde[/name_f] is pretty as well. I’m not very brushed up on these types of names. My namestyle is more word play and whimsy, my siggy doesn’t reflect it. I’d say my siggy has my “normal” taste. [name_m]Crusoe[/name_m] and [name_f]Lark[/name_f] are my current more typical name crushes. Thanks for liking!

lesliemarion · October 11, 2015, 5:01pm

saracita00:

I rather like the “gard” names, but it’s a fascinating study in the old Germanic name elements. There are literally dozens more “gard” names, including the intriguing Adelgard, the soft-then-tough Lillegard, and the lovely Isengard (almost undoubtedly absconded by Tolkein, as the meaning of these two name elements are “iron” and “tower/enclosure.”)

I do see the visual similarity to the meme with spelling [name_f]Ermengard[/name_f], which makes it utterly unusable in modern times, but spelling with the I would help that, Irmengard, but it still might have to be put out of consideration since it has become an urban-culture thing. I think of the secondary character in the pay, “The Matchmaker,” better known in his musical iteration, “Hello [name_f]Dolly[/name_f].” She’s a little bit of a simpleton, but she’s also quite young and naive so you don’t hold that against her.

[name_f]Hildegard[/name_f] is probably my favorite of your three, because I like the root elements best of this one, “battle” and “tower/enclosure.”

Fridegard is likely to fall into the situation of people wanting to change it to something more familiar, which in this case would be [name_f]Freida[/name_f].

As for whether any of them is usable nowadays, I think it would take a bold namer proud of a Germanic heritage… and an adventurous partner… to be willing to consider it. Most of the Germanic-root Norse type names I pull out make my poor husband’s eyes go all deer-in-the-headlights.

You’ll be interested in this listing of other “gard” ending name element options:

Name Finder - Nordic Names

Thanks for the link - I look forward to checking it out.

And for the good info. I know next to nothing about this names, they just intrigue me and appeal to me.

As for [name_f]Ermengard[/name_f] and that hideous girl in the meme… until today I didn’t know what a meme really was. Of an age not to be a digital native, so were I to name a girl [name_f]Ermengard[/name_f], or be called it myself, it wouldn’t bother me personally. I too think of the nice girl in A [name_m]Little[/name_m] [name_f]Princess[/name_f] which is far more positive an allusion.