King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (1470), by Evrard d’Espinques
Safir probably comes from the Hebrew word sapir (sapphire). He’s a Saracen Knight of the Round Table, and the brother of Palamedes.
Sagramore comes from the Old French word sicamor (sycamore). He appears in almost every Arthurian story, always as a very good knight, even when he loses jousts.
Segwarides is the brother of Safir and Palamedes, and son of King Esclabor the Unknown. In some stories, Tristan sleeps with his wife.
Titurel is the Grail King in Wolfram von Eschenbach’s epic Parzival. He’s also the eponymous hero of another von Eschenbach work, a prequel to Parzival which only survives in fragments.
Tor is the son of King Pellinore, and later becomes one of the first Knights of the Round Table.
Torec is the eponymous hero of one of three Arthurian works by 13th century Flemish poet Jacob van Maerlant. Sir Torec defeats all of the Knights of the Round Table except King Arthur for the love of a maiden.
Tristan and Isolde (1912), by John Duncan
Tristan probably derives from the Celtic name Drustan, a nickname for the Pictish name Drust, which in turn may come from the Old Celtic root *trusto- (tumult, noise). It first appeared as Tristan in 12th century French stories, with the spelling probably changed to associate it with the Old French word triste (sad).
Tristan is sent to Ireland by his uncle, King Mark of Cornwall, to bring back Mark’s betrothed Iseult. En route to Ireland, Tristan and Iseult accidentally drink a potion that makes them fall in love. This sets many tragic events in motion. Tristan also appears as a Knight of the Round Table and a good friend of Lancelot.
Other forms of the name are Tristão (Portuguese), Tristram (Middle English), Trystan (Welsh), Tristán (Spanish), Tristrant (Middle German), Tístram (Faroese), Tístran (Icelandic), Trestan (Breton), Tristà (Catalan; rare), Tristam (Old English), Tristano (Italian), Tristaun (Norman), Trisztán (Hungarian), and Drystan (Welsh).
Eric Pape’s 1907 illustration for Lyrics and Old World Idylls, depicting King Urien being slain by his wife Morgan le Fay
Ulfin means “little wolf,” from the Ancient Germanic root wolf plus a diminutive suffix. Sir Ulfin helps Merlin with the plot to have King Arthur conceived.
Urien comes from the Old Welsh name Urbgen, which possibly derives from Celtic root *orbo- (heir) and the suffix gen (born of). He’s the King of Gore, husband of Morgan le Fay, and father of Owain. Like Owain, Urien is another Arthurian character whom we know was a real historical person.
Uther comes from the Old Welsh name Uthyr and the root uthr (terrible). He’s King Arthur’s father.
Walganus is a variant Latin form of Gualguainus, which Gawain is sometimes referred to as.
Wigalois is the eponymous hero of Wirnt von Grafenberg’s very early 13th century epic about Gawain’s son.
Yder, or Ydier, is the Old French and Anglo–Norman form of Edern, which derives from Old Welsh root edyrn (heavy, immense; wonderful, prodigious, marvellous). Previously, it was wrongly believed to come from the Latin word aeternus (eternal). Edern is a Knight of the Round Table.
Yvain, or Ywain, is a form of Owain, which comes from an Old Welsh name variously spelt Ougein and Eugein, and thus may ultimately derive from the Greek name Eugenios (well-born). It may also have the Celtic roots *owi- (sheep), *awi- (desire), or *wesu- (good), plus the Old Welsh suffix gen (born of). Owain is a Knight of the Round Table, and usually written as the son of King Urien and the philandering husband of Laudine, the Lady of the Fountain. He’s one of the Arthurian characters who actually existed.
Onomastics Outside the Box 