wulfisc

Wulfisc is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. The form is typically analyzed as a compound of the element wulf- meaning “wolf” and the suffix -isc, a pattern found in several medieval Germanic names. The name is usually interpreted as meaning “wolf-like” or “son of the wolf,” signaling a wolf-related epithet rather than a literal animal.

Etymology and forms: The root wulf- is common in Germanic onomastics, and the suffix -isc functions to form adjectives or personal names in Old Norse, Old English, and related languages. In Latin documents, the name sometimes appears in Latinized spellings such as Wulfiscus or Wulfis, reflecting the practice of rendering vernacular names into Latin in charters and chronicles.

Attestation and usage: Wulfisc is not widely attested as a surname or given name in surviving records. It occurs in a small number of medieval sources, mainly within onomastic lists or genealogies where Germanic names were transliterated into Latin. For this reason, it is primarily of interest to linguists and historians studying medieval naming practices rather than as a common historical given name.

Legacy: In modern times, Wulfisc is rarely used, though it may appear in scholarly discussion or as a stylistic choice in fiction to evoke early medieval culture. The name is related to other wolf-themed Germanic names such as Wulfgar, Wulfstan, and Wulfhild, which share the same semantic element with different suffixes.

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