Name of the Goths

The name of the Goths is a fascinating topic in Germanic philology. People began writing about the Goths around the 3rd century AD, although related names appear a little earlier. The name comes from an old Germanic word *Gutōz ~ *Gutaniz. This name sounds very much like the names of the Geats who lived in southern Sweden and the Gutes from Gotland. Scholars still discuss what these names mean and how they are connected. Learning about the name of the Goths helps us understand ancient languages and the people who spoke them.

Endonym and exonym

In their own language, the Goths called themselves Gut-þiuda, which means "Gothic people". Writers from Greece and Rome used the name Gutones for people living near the Vistula river a long time ago. Over time, the spelling changed to Gothi.

The name of the Goths may be linked to other names from Scandinavia, like the Geats. These names help us learn about how the Goths saw themselves and how others described them.

Etymology

The name "Goth" comes from an old Proto-Germanic word, *Gutaz, which later changed into Gotan in Old English. This name is connected to other groups, like the Gutes who lived on the island of Gotland and the Geats from southern Sweden.

The roots of the word "Goth" might come from a word meaning "to pour," linking it to ideas about water or rivers. Even though the Goths shared a name with these other groups, it doesn’t mean they all moved together. Instead, small powerful families likely spread the name to new places.

Main article: Name of the Goths

!Etymology of the name 'Goth'

Meaning

The name "Goths" is still a mystery. Some people think it might mean "men" or "people." Others believe it could refer to "horses," which suggests strength.

One idea says the Goths were called "the people living where the river ends." Another theory ties the name to an ancestor named Gapt, meaning the Goths could be "sons of Gaut." The exact meaning is not known, but experts agree that the name "Goths" shares roots with similar names like Gauts.

Attestations

See also: Gutes, Gauts, and Gotones

The name of the Goths was first written down by Greek and Roman writers around the 1st century AD as Gutones. This name was used for groups living near the lower Vistula. Later writers such as Strabo and Pliny the Elder also used similar names, which scholars often link to the Goths.

By the late 3rd century AD, the name Goths appeared in writings. It described people living north of the Danube. This name was found in inscriptions and historical records, connecting it to earlier names like Gutones. Historians discuss whether these names are the same, but many think they are related.

Legacy

The name Goths was sometimes used for other groups, including the Burgundians, Vandals, and Gepids. Starting in the 4th century, the area of Dacia in the Balkans was called Gothia because Goths lived there. The two main Gothic groups were the Visigoths and Ostrogoths.

Later, the word "Gothic" began to describe certain styles of art and architecture. The Gothic name is still seen today in places like Gotland and in the Spanish word godo, meaning 'noble' or 'rich'.

Historical significance

The name of the Goths helps us learn about where they came from. Scholars think the Goths might be linked to two other groups, the Gutes and the Geats, because their names sound alike. Some believe the Goths, Gutes, and Geats were once the same group of traders and warriors near the Baltic Sea.

One idea is that these names started with a group of people from northern Europe, different from other nearby tribes. This idea might connect to old stories from Norse mythology about different groups of gods.

Other names

The Goths were sometimes called Scythians by writers from ancient Greece and Rome in the 3rd century AD. For example, a writer named Dexippos used this name, but he might not have thought they had the same origins.

Later writers, such as Claudian, Orosius, Saint Jerome, and Augustine of Hippo, often called the Goths the Getae. Today, historians think this was not accurate. In the late 4th century, the writer Ambrose connected the Goths to Gog from the Book of Ezekiel because the names sounded alike.