More AI names for the Germans

[real_tabasco_sauce]

they seem good to me!

[Frederick_1]

17 hours ago, manowar said:

Thanks @Genava55 how about this list ?

- Arminius - Cheruscan leader who defeated Varus in the Teutoburg Forest; mentioned by Cassius Dio and Tacitus.
- Maroboduus - King of the Marcomanni who ruled a powerful kingdom beyond the Roman frontier; mentioned by Tacitus.
- Veleda - Bructerian seeress with major political influence during the Batavian Revolt; mentioned by Tacitus.
- Vannius - Quadian ruler installed over a Suebi-related frontier kingdom; mentioned by Tacitus.
- Ariovistus - Suebian leader who crossed the Rhine into Gaul and fought Julius Caesar; mentioned by Caesar in Commentarii de Bello Gallico.
- Catualda - Marcomannic noble who overthrew Maroboduus before being driven into exile; mentioned by Tacitus in the Annals.
- Ballomar - King or leading war chief of the Marcomanni during the Marcomannic Wars; mentioned by Cassius Dio.
- Gannascus - Chieftain of the Canninefates/Chauci associated with raids on the Rhine frontier; mentioned by Tacitus in the Annals.

 

When I search for these names, I get these german wikipedia pages, with some more information about the names and variants (not on all):

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arminius
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marbod
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veleda
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vannius_(Quaden)
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariovist
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catualda
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballomar
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gannascus

 

[manowar]

Thanks @Frederick_1 that provides useful reference points for any future challenges / changes.

 

[Vantha]

Most of them lived after AD 1, which I'm not a fan of, but fine. The only one who's definitely too late is Ballomar, since he lived in the second century AD, so I wouldn't include him.

@manowar If you make those changes to the PR, I'll merge it.

[manowar]

Thanks Vantha I removed Ballomar leaving the list below. The PR is here if you approve. 

        "Ariovistus",
        "Arminius",
        "Catualda",
        "Claodicus",
        "Gannascus",
        "Maroboduus",
        "Vannius",
        "Veleda"

 

[Obelix]

FYI Pull request #8784 has been merged.

[Obelix]

On 18/02/2026 at 10:30 AM, Vantha said:

@Genava55 Though, it would be nice to add proper Proto-Germanic names to the heroes; Teutobod, Lugius, and Boiorix.

On 18/02/2026 at 11:00 AM, Genava55 said:

Boiorix and Lugius are probably Celtic but we can Germanize their names. 

So it would be Þeudōbudô, Lugijaz and Bajārīks. 

See the new PR #9157 (+ grammar correction of Catafalque name)

[Obelix]

FYI PR #9157 already got merged two day ago.

If I read this thread correctly, every open task is finished.

[Ultimate Aurelian]

On 16/02/2026 at 7:43 PM, Genava55 said:

A first draft, some names are quite difficult to interpret in Proto-Germanic (PGmc)

Historical names	Etymology	Meaning	PGmc reconstruction
Claodicus	*hlūd- + *īk-	"Powerful through his fame"	*Hlūdagīkaz
Caesorix	*gaizaz + *rīks	"King of the spear"	*Gaizarīks
Teutagonus	*theudō + *gunthiz	"People's battle"	*Theudagunthaz
Cotto	*kath- / *kott-	"The fighter (diminutive)"	*Kottō
Deldo	*dal- / *del-	"The shining one or the sharer"	*Deldō
Atès / Atas	*attō	"Father (honorific title)"	*Attō
Nasua	*nas-	"The one who has a (large) nose"	*Nasuō
Cimberius	*kimbra- + *-jaz	"The one of the Cimbri"	*Kimbarjaz

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/347859019_Cimbri_and_Teutoni

this article proposes an interesting etymology for the name of those tribes.

Quote

The well-known names Cimbri and Teutoni / Teutones are traditionally said to denominate two different Germanic tribes. Here a new idea is proposed, namely that they originally formed a syntagm consisting of both words, PGmc. *þeu̯đanōz kumƀrii̯ōn ‘chieftains of tribes’, which later got split up into two tribal names in ancient sources: Teutoni Cimbrique, or Τευτόνοι καὶ Κίμβροι. While PGmc. *kumƀr- must be reconstructed, there are different ways in which the name is rendered in the Latin and Greek sources, where we find a variation u/y – i in the root vowel. This may be due to the fact that there is a certain fluctuation between u and i in inherited words in Latin on the one hand and a fluctuation between all these vowels in loaned words and names in both languages. The original form of the name of the Cimbri, PGmc. *kumƀrii̯a, may continue an obscured compound of the roots PIE *gem- ‘press, squeeze, grab’ and *bher- ‘carry’. Pgmc. *þeu̯đanōz is the regular plural to *þeu̯đanaz ‘tribal chieftain’, later ‘king’. Its origin from PGmc. *þeu̯đō ‘tribe’ is generally accepted. Among various etymological attempts to analyze ‘West Indo-European’ *teu̯tā we prefer the idea of de Vries deriving the word from the Celto-Germanic isogloss to *teu̯to- ‘good, friendly’. The Hittite cognates imply the existence of the root *teu̯- ‘to be kind, friendly’.

I'm not sure it's really a composite word (Sometimes the source mention just Cimbri or just Teutones); but the kumƀrii̯a etymology might be plausible.

 

 

 

On 19/02/2026 at 1:30 PM, Genava55 said:

Sure. It pretty straightforward for those.

Teutobod = *þeudō (people, tribe) + *budô (voice, message, command) = Þeudōbudô

Lugius = *Lugi- (of the Lugii) + *-jaz (equivalent to Latin name ending in -ius) = Lugijaz

Boiorix = *Bajā-/*Boio- (of the Boii) + *-rīks (king) = Bajārīks 

 

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/lugiz

It's the word for lie, although probably coincidence (i think name of the lugii might be celtic in origin).

 

Edited 5 hours ago by Ultimate Aurelian

[Genava55]

Personally I prefer not presuming the etymology of those tribal names. It is easier to interpret the personal names as a reference to their tribes. 

[Ultimate Aurelian]

2 hours ago, Genava55 said:

Personally I prefer not presuming the etymology of those tribal names. It is easier to interpret the personal names as a reference to their tribes. 

I suppose  you just treat them like personal names without inferring meaning then.

That can actually work (they probably had some meaning in real life, but we can't necessarily know it)

I was considering suggesting some names for mod units and was in doubt about that.

Specially what to call the Cherusci or Chatti. 

A lot of people associated the Cherusci with deer (herutaz) i was questioning whatever it could be derived from ''heruz'' (sword; heruskoz would be something like the ''sharp'',''sword like'', ''sword-esque'').

Or whatever Chatti could be related to hatjaną (hunt, attack, pursue), hataz (hate), or haftaz (captive, bound. As in Germania it is mentioned some of them wear iron rings until they kill an enemy; and that this is seem as shameful by other tribes).

Edited 59 minutes ago by Ultimate Aurelian

[Genava55]

25 minutes ago, Ultimate Aurelian said:

I was considering suggesting some names for mod units and was in doubt about that.

Specially what to call the Cherusci or Chatti. 

A lot of people associated the Cherusci with deer (herutaz) i was questioning whatever it could be derived from ''heruz'' (sword; heruskoz would be something like the ''sharp'',''sword like'', ''sword-esque'').

Or whatever Chatti could be related to hatjaną (hunt, attack, pursue), hataz (hate), or haftaz (captive, bound. As in Germania it is mentioned some of them wear iron rings until they kill an enemy; and that this is seem as shameful by other tribes).

Do you really need to know that for a unit?