Naming and renaming: names and the life course in early medieval England

Personal names are an intrinsic part of the human life course. The bestowing of a name on a child at birth inducts them into a society and gives them a social identity. But naming is more than just a one-off act. Names form a crucial part of an individual’s identity throughout their life, as well as how they are remembered after their death. They are changed, adapted or added to as people pass through the phases of their lives, often specifically identifying a person’s age or life stage. This chapter examines personal names to gain a better understanding of how people in early medieval England chose names for their children, and the meaning they held. It will show how they could be transformed, added to or changed completely throughout the life course, and how they were forgotten, preserved or reapplied after death.