Origins -Catardi
Hi,I’m looking for the origin of the name Catardi. The family derived from northern Italy. My best guess is that the “ardi” ending originated from the German “(h)ard” ending, meaning strong.” But I’m completely stumped on the “cat” prefix. Any help would be appreciated.Thanks
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If it is Germanic the orignal form would have been something like Gad(h)ard, but the "Gad" prototheme (spear, point, "goad") in Lombard Northern Italy in the middle ages was Ghaid or Chei(d), however it is variable depending on regional dialect and scribe, and I suppose it could have become Cat- in some area (cf. Gaus or Cos for *Gaut (Geat)). That would only be speculation though.
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