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Race
Hobbits
Division
Descended largely from the Fallohides
Culture
Bucklanders, Shire-hobbits
Meaning
'Brandy' from the River Brandywine1
'Buck' from Old English bucc ('male deer') or bucca ('he-goat')2

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 27 January 1998
  • Updates planned: 4

Brandybuck Family

The descendants of Bucca of the Marish

An old family of the Shire found mostly in Buckland, and descended from the Oldbucks, and ultimately from Bucca of the Marish, the first Thain of the Shire. The family was founded by Gorhendad Oldbuck who, claiming the settling in Buckland, changed his family name to Brandybuck. Probably the most famous member of the family was Meriadoc Brandybuck, who was part of the Company of the Ring.


Notes

1

'Brandybuck' is an anglicisation of this family's actual name, which was Brandagamba (relating to the actual river-name Branda-nîn). The branda element in both these names actual means 'border' or 'march', so that Tolkien suggests that 'Marchbuck' would have been a more literally correct translation of the name. 'Brandybuck', however, maintains the connection with the wide river that ran near their ancestral home at Buck Hill.

2

Given that the Brandybucks arose from a famous ancestor actually named 'Bucca', it would seem natural to presume that the element bucca is the one intended. However, bucc was proposed as an alternative possibility by Tolkien himself, hence its inclusion here.

See also...

Bolger Family, Brandagamba Family, Brandy Hall, Buck Hill, Buckland, Bucklanders, Deepdelver, Fallohides, Frodo Baggins, Gorhendad Oldbuck (later Brandybuck), Gormadoc ‘Deepdelver’ Brandybuck, Gundabald Bolger, Hanna Goldworthy, Hilda Bracegirdle, Ilberic Brandybuck, [See the full list...]

For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page.

Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 1998, 2001. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.