Name of the Goths

For other uses, see Goth (disambiguation) and Gothic (disambiguation).
Runic inscriptions on the Ring of Pietroassa provides critical evidence on the name of the Goths.

The name of the Goths is one of the most discussed topics in Germanic philology.[1][2] It is first recorded by Greco-Roman writers in the 3rd century AD, although names that are probably related appear earlier. Derived from Proto-Germanic *Gutōz ~ *Gutaniz, it is closely related to and probably means the same as the names of both the Geats of southern Sweden and Gutes of Gotland. The implications of these similarities, and the actual meaning of the Gothic name, are disputed in scholarship.

  1. ^ Lehmann 1986, pp. 163–164.
  2. ^ Wolfram 1990, pp. 19–24.