Page "Cerdic of Wessex" Paragraph 8

Curiously, the name Cerdic is thought to be British – a form of the name Ceretic or Caradog ( in Latin Caratacus ) – rather than Germanic in origin.

This may indicate that Cerdic was a native Briton, and that his dynasty became Anglicised over time.

This view is supported by the non-Germanic names of some of his descendants including Ceawlin, Cedda and Caedwalla.

Conversely some Welsh princely dynasties derive from early ancestors with Germanic names such as Tewdrig ( Theodoric ) and his father Teithfallt.

This suggests that ethnicity was possibly not as important in the establishment of rulership within the proto-states of Post-Roman Britain as has been traditionally thought.