Altsomething Namenbuch

Ernst Forstemann, a librarian in Dresden, should have a statue placed in every Central European capital for shedding (even if inadvertently?) light on Germania‘s history.  His Altdeutsches Namenbuch is a joy to look at every time.

Here are some names he mentioned:

Purchowa (Burgau, Thuringia) – mentioned as Purchowa marcha in 964 

Jochowa (Jachenau, Bavaria) – mention of Eberhardus de Jochowa in about 1121

Suabowa (near Kloster Rheinau) – mentioned in 870 …ie vel nocte usque Suabowa, ab eodem autem omni tempore in utraque Reni. parte usque locum qua Tura

Sichowa (Seugenhof or Seigenhof near Eschlkam/Regensburg) – mentioned in 9th century; also in 1086; compare with Sichow by Legnica, Silesia, Poland and by Lviv in Ukraine

Jezowa (Jezowa, Silesia) – mentioned in 11th century

Malinowa (Mallau near Mannheim/Heidelberg) – in malinowa mentioned in 771, 782

Winidowa – mentioned in 892

Ostowa (Osthoffen near Strassburg) – mentioned in 784, 838

Here is a map of these places.

Now -awa supposedly refers to “water” for Wasser is not enough apparently – but neither is -awa quite enough and so -owa must also be Germanic.  For example, Czestochowa – learning something everyday!