Hildebrand
/ˈhɪl.də.brænd/noun
A Germanic personal name, best known in history as the regnal name of Pope Gregory VII.
Did you know?Hildebrand appears in early Germanic heroic tradition, and its second element is the same root behind English brand, originally meaning a burning piece of wood or a sword-blade’s flash.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*hildiz + *brandaz
“battle + firebrand, burning brand”
Old High German
OHG
Hiltibrant
“a personal name built from battle + brand”
Old English
OE
Hildebrand
“a heroic personal name in Germanic tradition”
Medieval Latin
Latin
Hildebrandus
“Latinized form of the name, especially for Pope Gregory VII”
Modern English
English
Hildebrand
“a Germanic given name and historical name form”