Boy name origins & meanings
- German : Eagle and powerful
Boy name variations
Family name origins & meanings
- English and German : from a very widely used personal name of Germanic origin, composed of the elements arn ‘eagle’ + wald ‘rule’. In addition, it has probably absorbed various European cognates and their derivatives (for the forms, see Hanks and Hodges 1988).
- English : habitational name from either of the two places called Arnold (see Arnall).
- Jewish (Ashkenazic) : adoption of the German personal name, at least in part on account of its resemblance to the Jewish name Aaron.
- Arnold is a widespread and important family name in North America. In particular, it is borne by a prominent RI family, descended from a certain Thomas Arnold, who emigrated to New England before 1635.
