indicate the level to which a name has been verified.
Meaning & History
Probably derived from Old English os "god". This was the given name of a 5th-century king of Kent, more commonly known as Oisc (see Æsc). He ruled for twenty-four years, from 488 to 516 AD. He may have been the son or the grandson of Hengest, who led the initial Anglo-Saxon conquest and settlement of Kent. According to Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People, Oisc's given name was Orric. Bede indicates that he was the son of Hengest and travelled to Britain with him, with the permission of the British king Vortigern. He was the father of Octa, who succeeded him. His descendants called themselves 'Oiscingas' after him.