Theodoric
Encyclopedia
Theodoric is a widespread Germanic given name. First attested in the 5th century, it became widespread in the Germanic-speaking world, not least due to its most famous bearer, Theoderic the Great, king of the Ostrogoths.
The name was latinized Theodoricus or Theodericus, originally from a Common Germanic form *þeudo-rīks ("people-ruler"), which would have resulted in a Gothic
þiuda-reiks.
Anglicized spellings of the name during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages include Theodoric, Theoderic, Theudoric, Theuderic.
Gregory of Tours
latinized the name as Theodorus
, in origin an unrelated Greek name (Θεόδωρος, meaning "god-gift").
As the name survived throughout the Middle Ages, it transformed into a multitude of forms in the languages of Western Europe.
These include the High German
form Dietrich
, abbreviated Dieter
, the Low German and Dutch form Diederik, or Dierik, abbreviated Dirk
, Diede, the Norwegian
Tjodrik, and the French Thierry
. Italian, Portuguese and Spanish
have Teodorico.
The English forms Derek
, Derrick
and Terry
have been re-introduced from the continent, from Low German, Dutch and French sources. The Welsh form Tudur
is the origin of the name of the British Tudor dynasty
.
during the 6th century. The earliest known bearer was Theodoric I
, son of Alaric I
, king of the Visigoths. But the notability of the name is due to Theodoric the Great
, son of Theodemir
, king of the Ostrogoths, who became a legendary figure of the Germanic Heroic Age
as Dietrich von Bern.
After the end of Late Antiquity
, during the 6th to 8th century there were also several kings of the Franks
called Theodoric (or Theuderic).
Finally, there was an early Anglo-Saxon
king of Bernicia
called Theodric
(also spelled Deoric, Old English ).
The name remains popular in medieval German as Dietrich, and is adopted into French as Thierry. It is rendered in Middle Latin as Theodoricus or as Theodericus.
The Middle High German
legend of Dietrich von Bern is based on the historical Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths. The German Dietrich von Bern is reflected as Þiðrekr af Bern in the Old Norse Thidrekssaga. The medieval German legend gives rise to the Dietrich of the Renaissance era
Heldenbücher.
was abbreviated to Dieter
. The Low German and Dutch languages abbreviated Diederik as Dirk
or Diede. Modern Scandinavian retains Tjodrik, but has also borrowed Dirk.
The English Derek
is apparently a modern adaptation of the latinized Theodericus, while Terry
is from the French Thierry.
The name was latinized Theodoricus or Theodericus, originally from a Common Germanic form *þeudo-rīks ("people-ruler"), which would have resulted in a Gothic
Gothic language
Gothic is an extinct Germanic language that was spoken by the Goths. It is known primarily from the Codex Argenteus, a 6th-century copy of a 4th-century Bible translation, and is the only East Germanic language with a sizable Text corpus...
þiuda-reiks.
Anglicized spellings of the name during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages include Theodoric, Theoderic, Theudoric, Theuderic.
Gregory of Tours
Gregory of Tours
Saint Gregory of Tours was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours, which made him a leading prelate of Gaul. He was born Georgius Florentius, later adding the name Gregorius in honour of his maternal great-grandfather...
latinized the name as Theodorus
Theodore (given name)
Theodore is an English masculine given name. It comes from the Greek name Θεόδωρος meaning "God's gift" . The name was popular among early Christians and was borne by several saints.Cognates: in Georgian, Theodore . In French, Théodore. In German, Theodor...
, in origin an unrelated Greek name (Θεόδωρος, meaning "god-gift").
As the name survived throughout the Middle Ages, it transformed into a multitude of forms in the languages of Western Europe.
These include the High German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
form Dietrich
Dietrich
Dietrich is a German given and a family name, the German form of Theodoric.People * Albert Dietrich , German composer and conductor* Albert Gottfried Dietrich , German botanist...
, abbreviated Dieter
Dieter
-People:Dieter is a German given name Given name*Dieter Bohlen, a German music producer...
, the Low German and Dutch form Diederik, or Dierik, abbreviated Dirk
Dirk (disambiguation)
Dirk may refer to:*certain types of dagger:**dirk , traditionally worn in Scotland with the kilt**the naval dirk*a given name, short for Theoderic, see Dirk *A topping lift is known as a "dirk" in Dutch, German and Frisian...
, Diede, the Norwegian
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
Tjodrik, and the French Thierry
Thierry
Thierry is a French male given name, derived from the Germanic "Theodoric" and the cognate of German "Dietrich" and "Dieter", English Derek and Derrick, and of various forms in other European languages.It may refer to:Given name:...
. Italian, Portuguese and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
have Teodorico.
The English forms Derek
Derek
Derek is a male name derived from the same root as the Old German Theodoric, meaning power of the tribe or ruler of the people. Variants recently revived are Deryk, Deric, Derak, the Dutch form Dirk, popularised by the actor Dirk Bogarde, and the Low German Dirk...
, Derrick
Derrick
A derrick is a lifting device composed of one tower, or guyed mast such as a pole which is hinged freely at the bottom. It is controlled by lines powered by some means such as man-hauling or motors, so that the pole can move in all four directions. A line runs up it and over its top with a hook on...
and Terry
Terry
Terry is:* A surname from the medieval Norman given name Thierry, cognate of the English Derek* A male given name transferred back from the surname, or a diminutive of Terence or of any of its alternative forms...
have been re-introduced from the continent, from Low German, Dutch and French sources. The Welsh form Tudur
Tudur
Tudur is the Welsh form of the given name Theodoric.People called Tudur include:*Tewdrig, king of Glywysing *Tudur Hen , eponymous founder of the Tudor dynasty*Tudur ap Gwyn Hagr Tudur is the Welsh form of the given name Theodoric.People called Tudur include:*Tewdrig, king of Glywysing (fl. 6th...
is the origin of the name of the British Tudor dynasty
Tudor dynasty
The Tudor dynasty or House of Tudor was a European royal house of Welsh origin that ruled the Kingdom of England and its realms, including the Lordship of Ireland, later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1485 until 1603. Its first monarch was Henry Tudor, a descendant through his mother of a legitimised...
.
Late Antiquity to Early Middle Ages
The name is first attested as carried by GothsGoths
The Goths were an East Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin whose two branches, the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, played an important role in the fall of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Medieval Europe....
during the 6th century. The earliest known bearer was Theodoric I
Theodoric I
Theodoric I sometimes called Theodorid and in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian Teodorico, was the King of the Visigoths from 418 to 451. An illegitimate son of Alaric, Theodoric is famous for defeating Attila at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains in 451, where he was mortally wounded.-Early...
, son of Alaric I
Alaric I
Alaric I was the King of the Visigoths from 395–410. Alaric is most famous for his sack of Rome in 410, which marked a decisive event in the decline of the Roman Empire....
, king of the Visigoths. But the notability of the name is due to Theodoric the Great
Theodoric the Great
Theodoric the Great was king of the Ostrogoths , ruler of Italy , regent of the Visigoths , and a viceroy of the Eastern Roman Empire...
, son of Theodemir
Theodemir
Theodemir was king of the Ostrogoths of the Amal Dynasty, and father of Theodoric the Great. He had two "brothers" actually brothers-in-law named Walamir and Widimir. Theodemir was Arian, while his wife Erelieva was Catholic...
, king of the Ostrogoths, who became a legendary figure of the Germanic Heroic Age
Germanic Heroic Age
The Germanic Heroic Age, so called in analogy to the Heroic Age of Greek mythology, is the period of early historic or quasi-historic events reflected in Germanic heroic poetry.- Periodisation :...
as Dietrich von Bern.
After the end of Late Antiquity
Late Antiquity
Late Antiquity is a periodization used by historians to describe the time of transition from Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages, in both mainland Europe and the Mediterranean world. Precise boundaries for the period are a matter of debate, but noted historian of the period Peter Brown proposed...
, during the 6th to 8th century there were also several kings of the Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
called Theodoric (or Theuderic).
Finally, there was an early Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
king of Bernicia
Bernicia
Bernicia was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom established by Anglian settlers of the 6th century in what is now southeastern Scotland and North East England....
called Theodric
Theodric of Bernicia
Theodric ruled from 572 to 579. He was the fifth known ruler of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Bernicia.Theodric was the son of Ida of Bernicia, founder of the kingdom of Bernicia. Little is known of Theodric's life and reign although Urien, the king of Rheged, was said to have subjected Theodric and...
(also spelled Deoric, Old English ).
- Theodoric ITheodoric ITheodoric I sometimes called Theodorid and in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian Teodorico, was the King of the Visigoths from 418 to 451. An illegitimate son of Alaric, Theodoric is famous for defeating Attila at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains in 451, where he was mortally wounded.-Early...
(died 451), king of the Visigoths - Theodoric IITheodoric IITheodoric II was King of Visigoths from 453 to 466.Theoderic II, son of Theodoric I, obtained the throne by killing his elder brother Thorismund...
(died 466), king of the Visigoths - Theodoric the GreatTheodoric the GreatTheodoric the Great was king of the Ostrogoths , ruler of Italy , regent of the Visigoths , and a viceroy of the Eastern Roman Empire...
(454–526), ruler of the Ostrogoths, Italy, and the Visigoths - Theodoric StraboTheodoric StraboTheodoric Strabo was an Ostrogoth chieftain who was involved in the politics of the Byzantine Empire during the reigns of Byzantine Emperors Leo I, Zeno and Basiliscus...
(died 481) - Theuderic ITheuderic ITheuderic I was the Merovingian king of Metz, Rheims, or Austrasia—as it is variously called—from 511 to 533 or 534....
(died ca. 534), Frankish king - Theuderic IITheuderic IITheuderic II , king of Burgundy and Austrasia , was the second son of Childebert II...
(587–613), Frankish king - Theuderic IIITheuderic IIITheuderic III was the king of Neustria on two occasions and king of Austrasia from 679 to his death in 691. Thus, he was the king of all the Franks from 679...
(died 691), king of the Franks - Theuderic IVTheuderic IVTheuderic IV or Theuderich, Theoderic, or Theodoric; in French, Thierry was the Merovingian King of the Franks from 721 until his death in 737...
(died 737), king of the Franks - Theodric of BerniciaTheodric of BerniciaTheodric ruled from 572 to 579. He was the fifth known ruler of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Bernicia.Theodric was the son of Ida of Bernicia, founder of the kingdom of Bernicia. Little is known of Theodric's life and reign although Urien, the king of Rheged, was said to have subjected Theodric and...
, 6th century Anglo-Saxon king - Saint TewdrigTewdrigTewdrig or Tewdrig ap Teithfallt was a king of the post-Roman Kingdom of Glywysing. He abdicated in favour of his son Meurig and retired to live a hermitical life, but was recalled to lead his son's army against an intruding Saxon force...
(alternatively Tewdric or Theodoric) (c. 580 – c. 630), Welsh king of Gwent and Glywysing, who was martyred fighting the Saxons
High and Late Middle Ages
While the Anglo-Saxon name Theodric (Deoric) is extinct in the Middle English period, the latinized name was adopted in Old Welsh as Tewdrig and survives in Modern Welsh as TudurTudur
Tudur is the Welsh form of the given name Theodoric.People called Tudur include:*Tewdrig, king of Glywysing *Tudur Hen , eponymous founder of the Tudor dynasty*Tudur ap Gwyn Hagr Tudur is the Welsh form of the given name Theodoric.People called Tudur include:*Tewdrig, king of Glywysing (fl. 6th...
The name remains popular in medieval German as Dietrich, and is adopted into French as Thierry. It is rendered in Middle Latin as Theodoricus or as Theodericus.
The Middle High German
Middle High German
Middle High German , abbreviated MHG , is the term used for the period in the history of the German language between 1050 and 1350. It is preceded by Old High German and followed by Early New High German...
legend of Dietrich von Bern is based on the historical Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths. The German Dietrich von Bern is reflected as Þiðrekr af Bern in the Old Norse Thidrekssaga. The medieval German legend gives rise to the Dietrich of the Renaissance era
German Renaissance
The German Renaissance, part of the Northern Renaissance, was a cultural and artistic movement that spread among German thinkers in the 15th and 16th centuries, which originated from the Italian Renaissance in Italy...
Heldenbücher.
- Antipope TheodoricAntipope TheodoricTheodoric was an antipope in 1100 and 1101.Antipope Clement III died on September 8, 1100. His followers in Rome met secretly at night in St. Peter's Basilica, where they elected and enthroned Cardinal Teodorico, the Bishop of Albano, who then went by the name of Theodoric...
(died 1102) - Thierry of ChartresThierry of ChartresThierry of Chartres or Theodoric the Breton was a twelfth-century philosopher working at Chartres and Paris, France....
(12th century), philosopher - Theodoric the Monk (12th century), Norwegian Benedictine
- Theoderich (Bishop of Estonia), 13th century bishop
- Theodoric of PragueTheodoric of PragueTheodoric of Prague or Master Theoderic Theodoric of Prague or Master Theoderic Theodoric of Prague or Master Theoderic (in Latin Magister Theodoricus (working ca. 1360–1380) was a Gothic painter who was court painter to Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and the first Bohemian painter whose name can...
(14th century), court painter to Charles IV - Theodoric of FreibergTheodoric of FreibergTheodoric of Freiberg was a German member of the Dominican order and a theologian and physicist...
(14th century), theologian and scientist
Modern era
The German form DietrichDietrich
Dietrich is a German given and a family name, the German form of Theodoric.People * Albert Dietrich , German composer and conductor* Albert Gottfried Dietrich , German botanist...
was abbreviated to Dieter
Dieter
-People:Dieter is a German given name Given name*Dieter Bohlen, a German music producer...
. The Low German and Dutch languages abbreviated Diederik as Dirk
Dirk
A dirk is a short thrusting dagger, sometimes a cut-down sword blade mounted on a dagger hilt rather than a knife blade. It was historically used as a personal weapon for officers engaged in naval hand-to-hand combat during the Age of Sail.-Etymology:...
or Diede. Modern Scandinavian retains Tjodrik, but has also borrowed Dirk.
The English Derek
Derek
Derek is a male name derived from the same root as the Old German Theodoric, meaning power of the tribe or ruler of the people. Variants recently revived are Deryk, Deric, Derak, the Dutch form Dirk, popularised by the actor Dirk Bogarde, and the Low German Dirk...
is apparently a modern adaptation of the latinized Theodericus, while Terry
Terry
Terry is:* A surname from the medieval Norman given name Thierry, cognate of the English Derek* A male given name transferred back from the surname, or a diminutive of Terence or of any of its alternative forms...
is from the French Thierry.
Fictional
- Theodoric of YorkTheodoric of York, Medieval BarberTheodoric of York, Medieval Barber was a recurring comedy sketch on the American television show Saturday Night Live during the late 1970s. The title character was a barber surgeon played by comedian Steve Martin, a frequent host of the show...
, Saturday Night Live character by Steve Martin