De-Anglicisation of Names

[slohairt]

If you have the time, I'd would appreciate your take on my name:

Geoffrey Leigh Withnell (there have been a bunch of us with that moniker in the family, although it traditionally in our family is not passed from father to son, e.g. I am named after an uncle.)

I am told Geoffrey is the same name as Godfrey and means "Peace of God"

Leigh is as has been noted earlier a term for a field or meadow.

According to family tradition, Withnell is derived from "Willow Hill" (withy knoll), and is Welsh. There are a lot of Davies and Jones in the geneology, so I tend to believe the Welsh bit.

Geoff Withnell

I believe that Geoffrey and Godfrey do stem from the same Germanic compounds. It is also interesting to note that Geoffrey and Jeffrey have been interchangeable as spelling throughout history.

Some Irish forms of Geoffrey are Seafraidh, Siofraidh, or Seathrún (pronounced SHAF-REE, SHIF-REE and SHA-ROON respectively). The Irish form of Godfrey is usually Gothfraidh, or Gofraidh (both pronounced as GAWF-REE). I believe a Scottish Gaelic form is Goiridh, pronounced GAWR-EE, this is used for both Geoffrey and Godfrey.

Leigh is indeed the Anglo-Saxon term for 'meadow' or 'clearing'.

Withnell would appear to be a North of England name, there is a Withnell in Lancashire, and the place is believed to originally mean willow hill, as it was recorded in earlier times as Withinhull.