# out of nowhere this weird name: 'Helric'



## Unoverwordinesslogged

Does anyone know an etymology behind this seemingly givennname: _Helric _which has been in the news lately?

Does anyone know a history for the name _Helric_- nothing comes up in either google books nor google n gram - why?

Seemingly the _Helric_ nameholder in the news is old enough to be  born under French government controlled naming laws - can anyone confirm  that  the name _Helric _was indeed on official naming lists - if not, did older _Helric_ nameholders bear different givennames not so ago?

Is it known whether there be any known cognates of _Helric_ in other languages? - if so, would _Helric_ have anything to do with _herrlich, heerlijk_ and _hoarly_?


My top four suspects would either be:
German name: _Ehrlich_ ("meaning honest or honorable")
English name _Elric_ (medeival form of Old English: _Aelfric_ and _Aedelric_)
*"Elric of Melniboné" (an fictional character created by Michael Moorcock)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hercules ?




*


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## berndf

I don't think there are official name lists in France. The German name you are thinking of is Erich (Ehr(e) ~ honour + rich/reich < ric ~ power, ruler). _Aedelric_ (nobel + power, ruler) is plausible but who knows. The question is, if the initial H- is etymological or not. If it is, then several possibilities exist for Hel-, e.g. _helmet_ (in the sense of protection), _hail_. .... If it is a Germanic name which is probable but not certain.


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## Unoverwordinesslogged

berndf said:


> ]I don't think there are official name lists in France[/B]. The German name you are thinking of is Erich (Ehr(e) ~ honour + rich/reich < ric ~ power, ruler). _Aedelric_ (nobel + power, ruler) is plausible but who knows. The question is, if the initial H- is etymological or not. If it is, then several possibilities exist for Hel-, e.g. _helmet_ (in the sense of protection), _hail_. .... If it is a Germanic name which is probable but not certain.



Thanks for chipping in Bernd.

I think the _Helric_ nameholder in the news was definitely born at a time when it was binding for French citizens to take a givenname from an official government naming list. The news has broadcasted that he was 45 years old. Without doubt, France not so long ago, use to have naming laws and therefore government blessed namelists.

Heard somewhere before that lots of French lastnames/forenames(?) have no known meanings - maybe _Helric_ is hewn from the Micheal Moorcock's fanatasy character: _Elric of Melniboné_ - but would this be abiding of French naming laws at the time? _Melniboné_ dose strike one as looking French but in truth, it is seemingly nowt but a made up name of a fantasy land.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naming_law#France



> France  Since *1993* the choice has been free in France  unless it is decided that the name is contrary to the interests of the  child. *Before that time the choice of first names was dictated by French  laws that decreed which names were acceptable.*[2]


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## Unoverwordinesslogged

Googled: "_Helrice" "Helrick"_ and _"Helrike"_ - which bore a good crop of results. _Helrike_ seems an 'his and hers' version of the name _Ulrike_. Had forgotten that (I think) the old French naming laws often required foreign names to be 'Frenchified' so maybe _Helric_ is borne out of a known name like _Helrike_?

Wondering if any Francophones on this forum have ever come across the use of the name _Helric_?


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## berndf

The ending _-rike_ is a feminine version of _-rich_ (i.e. _Ulrike_ is a feminine version of _Ulrich_) and _-rich _is from _-ric _(e.g. _Theoderic > Dietrich_).

Before 1993, French first names where already relatively free. Foreign name were allowed. The restrictive law that included a single positive list was abolished already in 1966.


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## TitTornade

Hi,
On this database about French first names, I can find "Elric" but not "Helric". Weird...
http://www.prenoms.com/prenom/ELRIC-50ans.html

"Helric" and "Elric" have the same prononciation in French. So, the first name Helric could come from "Elric of Melniboné" with a little originality.


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## berndf

TitTornade said:


> "Helric" and "Elric" have the same prononciation in French. So, the first name Helric could come from "Elric of Melniboné" with a little originality.


Yes, if the _H-_ is unetymological (i.e. _Helric_ is just a fancy spelling of _Elric_), then the OPs original guess _Aedelric_ (_Elric _in French) is the most likely origin.


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## TitTornade

Moreover, at the time when this man was born, the law was strict about the first name, but it could happen that the child received a second or a third name which became his name in the everyday life... I know people who are called by a second name that does not exist in the "official" Catholic calendar ;-) Fancy could appear in these second, third... names. Nowadays, it can appear in the first name...


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## mataripis

I think it is an evolved form of Cedric/chedric.


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## berndf

mataripis said:


> I think it is an evolved form of Cedric/chedric.


Can you give any reason for this assumption? Are you aware that the name _Cedric _is an early 19th century literary invention?


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## Unoverwordinesslogged

TitTornade said:


> Hi,
> On this database about French first names, I can find "Elric" but not "Helric". Weird...
> http://www.prenoms.com/prenom/ELRIC-50ans.html
> 
> "Helric" and "Elric" have the same prononciation in French. So, the first name Helric could come from "Elric of Melniboné" with a little originality.





Hullo TitTornade. 

Can _Fredou_ and _Frodo_ take the same pronouciation in French? - The name *Helric Fredou* could well be shaped out of the fictional characters:_ *Elric* of_ _Melniboné_ and _*Frodo* Baggins_. Worth at least bearing in mind.


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## Unoverwordinesslogged

berndf said:


> Can you give any reason for this assumption? Are you aware that the name _Cedric _is an early 19th century literary* invention*?



literary invention or illiteracy....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerdic_of_Wessex


> The name "Cedric" (in place of "Cerdic") arose from a *misspelling* in the novel _Ivanhoe_, by Sir Walter Scott.



I'd forgotten about the name Cedric. Interesting how quickly (for whatever reason) it was adopted by French speakers (_Cédric?_) and most likely more oft borne in the likes of France than in Britain. 

PS yes I muddle up my Cedric and Cerdic and Helric and (what was it) Herlric?


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## TitTornade

Unoverwordinesslogged said:


> Hullo TitTornade.
> 
> Can _Fredou_ and _Frodo_ take the same pronouciation in French? - The name *Helric Fredou* could well be shaped out of the fictional characters:_ *Elric* of_ _Melniboné_ and _*Frodo* Baggins_. Worth at least bearing in mind.



Hi, 
No, the prononciation is not the same.
French last names has their origin in further times than 20th century  Beside, you can't choose your last name 
With this link, you can see that Fredou is a typical name from Dordogne, a small region in southwestern France : they say that 516 persons named Fredou were born there before 1906 
http://www.geopatronyme.com/cgi-bin/carte/nomcarte.cgi?nom=fredou&submit=Valider&client=cdip

By the way, _Frodo_ in French is _Frodon_


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## Unoverwordinesslogged

Hi TitTornade,
I think we both think (if he ever lived) that _Helric Frodou_ was not born with the weirdish name: _"Helric"_ (thanks to French naminglaws) but maybe(?) _"Helric"_ was a later creation or (somehow) an exisiting middlename or nickname. Would be good to workout at what likely time _"Helric"_ could of been openly borne.


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## TitTornade

Unoverwordinesslogged said:


> Hi TitTornade,
> I think we both think (if he ever lived) that _Helric Frodou_ was not born with the weirdish name: _"Helric"_ (thanks to French naminglaws) but maybe(?) _"Helric"_ was a later creation or (somehow) an exisiting middlename or nickname. Would be good to workout at what likely time _"Helric"_ could of been openly borne.



I only say that I can suppose "_Helric _was not _*called*_ with this weirdish _*first *_name" 
But we can not be sure of anything without knowing him or his family


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## mataripis

Cedric- chedric(shelric)- silent c or s become hedric, d become l or d heldic or helric.and future form Eric and in fixed form Erika or erikos.


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## TitTornade

Mataripis, which language are you talking about ?
*Chedric *or *Shelric *don't exist in French.
*c* or *s* can be silent in French, but never at the beginning of a word (frequently at the end of a word or likely in the middle of a word)
I never heard *Erikos* in French.

I don't understand what you mean.


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## Unoverwordinesslogged

berndf said:


> I don't think there are official name lists in France. The German name you are thinking of is Erich (Ehr(e) ~ honour + rich/reich < ric ~ power, ruler). _Aedelric_ (nobel + power, ruler) is plausible but who knows. The question is, if the initial H- is etymological or not. If it is, then several possibilities exist for *Hel-, e.g. *_*helmet*_* (in the sense of protection), *_*hail*_. .... If it is a Germanic name which is probable but not certain.



So the meaning of this policeman's name could well of meant: _(Hel_ + _ric_) *protector of the Reich/regime/bishoprick*.


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