Ingold

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. A family name of English and German origin, carried by many people across generations
2. A surname of Germanic origin borne by various individuals, including some notable figures in science and the arts
3. A hereditary family name of English and German background, used as a last name by numerous people

Etymology: In Old English, "ingeld" combined "in" (inward) with "geld," a payment or tax, so an ingeld was money that came in. Middle English kept the form "ingold" for income or revenue, and it was used in particular for a fee paid on entering a property or office. The root "geld" is related to German "Geld" (money) and to the English verb "yield," which comes from the same Old English verb "gieldan," to pay. The older sense survives mostly in the compound "Danegeld," the tax once levied to buy off Viking raiders.