Opening name…
A name. A world of connections.
“(pagan) god” + “friend”
Language context for this entry: Old English
[ˈoːzˌwi.ne] · Old English
01 / Meaning & origin
Oswine is a masculine given name documented in Old English. English Wiktionary traces it to Proto-Germanic *Ansuwiniz, from the components “(pagan) god” + “friend”.
Meaning: “(pagan) god” + “friend”
From Proto-Germanic *Ansuwiniz. Equivalent to ōs (“(pagan) god”) + wine (“friend”). Cognate with Old Norse Ásviðr.
02 / Across borders
Explore published naming statistics and documented language connections around the world.
The name atlas
0
countries in our sources
Select a country to follow Oswine’s connections around the world.
0 countries with published statistics. Language records show cultural connections; they do not measure how common a name is.
Selected country
Our sources do not yet connect this name with a country. New records will appear here as coverage grows.
No country coverage is recorded yet.
03 / By the numbers
Follow the spelling through the years, one published dataset at a time.
No official statistics are imported for this spelling. No statistical dataset covering this spelling has been imported yet. See data coverage.
04 / Through time
Passages quoted verbatim from public-domain reference works. They reflect the scholarship of their time, not current consensus, and may use obsolete spellings.
OSWINE— “divine friend”
Thoroughly English are likewise Osmod, divine mood or wrath; Osfrith, divine peace; Osred, divine council; Osgifu, divine gift; Oswine, divine friend, the third of the admirable but short-lived kings of Bernicia; Oswiu, who overthrew him, was probably named from a word meaning sacred, of which more in its place. Osbeorht we share with Germany, which calls it Osbert, and has the feminine Osberta. In fact, most of these names were in use there, beginning with _os_ or _ans_,…
Thoroughly English are likewise Osmod, divine mood or wrath; Osfrith, divine peace; Osred, divine council; Osgifu, divine gift; Oswine, divine friend, the third of the admirable but short-lived kings of Bernicia; Oswiu, who overthrew him, was probably named from a word meaning sacred, of which more in its place. Osbeorht we share with Germany, which calls it Osbert, and has the feminine Osberta. In fact, most of these names were in use there, beginning with _os_ or _ans_, according to the dialect in which they were used. Ansgisel was one of the Frankish forms, that section of the race always making much use of _gisel_, a pledge.[107]
Yonge, History of Christian Names (1884), Part VI, Chapter II (Names From Teuton Mythology), Section II (The Aasir) · Public domain (Project Gutenberg)
A little story to keep
Take the story of Oswine with you. Create a personal name passport with its meaning, roots and connections.
06 / Behind the facts
Review status: Source-reported — no editorial review recorded yet. Last data change 2026-10-15.
Wiktionary text: CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikidata: CC0. Commons recordings retain their individual file licences. Complete attribution is available in each group above and alongside each chart.
