It may be of interest, in connection with the antiquity of our names, to take a few of the oldest Teutonic names of which history gives us a record, and endeavour to show the relationship which they bear to our existing surnames. It will be seen that not only have we the representatives of these ancient names, but also in certain cases names which represent a still more ancient form of the word. And first let us take the name, dating back to the first century of our era, of the old German hero Arminius, brought before us with such magnanimous fairness by Tacitus. The old idea, let me observe, that Armin is properly _herman_, leader or warrior, has long been given up by the Germans. The name, of which the most correct form is considered to be Irmin, is formed from one single word of which the root is _irm_, and the meaning of which is, as Grimm observes, entirely obscure. We have then as English surnames _Armine_, _Ermine_, and _Harmony_, the last, no doubt, a slight corruption, though, as far as the prefix of _h_ is concerned, it is as old as Anglo-Saxon times, for we find "Harmines den," Harmine's valley, in a charter quoted by Kemble. Then we have compounded with _gar_, spear, and corresponding with an O.G. Irminger--_Arminger_, _Irminger_,[7] and again as a corruption, _Iremonger_. And, compounded with _hari_, warrior, and corresponding with an O.G. Irminhar, we have _Arminer_. And, as a Christian name of women, one at least of our old families still retains the ancient name _Ermentrude_, the ending _trude_, as found also in _Gertrude_, being perhaps from the name Thrud, of one of the _Valkyrjur_, or battle-maidens of Odin. The French also, among the many names derived from their Frankish ancestors, have _Armingaud_, _Armandet_, and _Ermingcard_, corresponding with the ancient names Irmingaud, Irmindeot, and Irmingard. And _Irminger_, as I write, comes before me in the daily papers as the name of a Danish admiral. But Irmin is not the oldest form of the name,--"the older and the simple form," observes Foerstemann, "runs in the form Irm or Irim," and with this also we can claim connection in our family names. For we have the simple form as _Arms_ and _Harme_; and as compounds we have _Armiger_, corresponding with an O.G. Ermgar; _Armour_, with an O.G. Ermhar; and _Armgold_, with an O.G. Ermegild. Lastly, I may observe that both Irm and Irmin are found also by Stark as ancient Celtic names. And certainly there is no stem more likely than this, of the origin of which all trace is lost in the darkness of the past, to be one that is older than the Arian separation.