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Welcome Message From Michael Barnikel
Welcome to the only ever web site dedicated to Barnikelology, the science (and art) of being a Barnikel. I hope that this site will help you answer some of the questions you might have about your Barnikeldom.
If your surname is Barnikel as well, and / or if you want to contribute something to this web site, please 
contact me.
What Does The Name "Barnikel" Mean?
Ta - dah! This age - old question seems to be solved.
Several sources, some of them even authoritative, come to the conclusion that the name Barnikel, as well as its kins and derivations such as Barnickel, Barnikle, Barnacle (etc.), derive from the old German "barn ni kval" = "child no kill", and that the first & original Barnikel was a viking chieftain who, unusually for a pagan warrior of his ilk, ordered his men to spare the children of the village they were pillaging and raping.
So the primordial Barnikel seems to have been a bleeding - heart - liberal, tree - hugging Barbarian!!
People who have written in support of this theory:
- Les Barnikel from the U. K. first mentioned it to me.
- Ruppi Barnickel from Seattle (U. S. A.) then wrote to confirm this theory: "What I have learned from my name was that in the old days when the Vikings fought their battles including raping women and killing children, that there was a man who stepped in between and said "don't kill the children". They changed his name into Barnikel or something like that. I think it came from the old Scandinavian language. I heard this story from a history professor in Germany but that's all I know.".
- Friedrich Barnikel from Southern Germany again wrote in confirmation. Many thanks to you all!
- Edward Rutherfurd, a British historian and author, writes on his use of the name "Barnikel" in his novels "London" and "Sarum": "The rarer name of Barnikel [...] is probably Viking and its origin associated with a charming legend. Dickens made use of this name (Barnacle) in a rather perjorative way. I hope to have done a little better for them."
So does this mean that we can consider the case solved? Well, no. All we can say with certainty is that there is a popular, convincing and fascinating theory for the origin of the name. However, since the phenotypical Barnikel did not leave us a written confirmation, there simply is no way to know for sure.
Meanwhile here are some older and less probable theories for your delectation:
- One obvious connection could be with "barnacle" (German: "Seepocke", "Entenmuschel"); as in the popular rugby song "
Barnacle Bill The Sailor".
- Several years ago I read that the name could derive from "bare" and "Nickel" (similar meanings in German and English) -- i. e. "bare of nickel", or skint.
- A slightly more exotic theory is that the name is derived from "St. Nicolo de Bari", who is currently resting in peace in his crypt at the Basilica San Nicola in Bari (Southern Italy).
- Etymologically, Barnikel can also (though less well) be explained as "born without pain" or "child without pain" (the English "kill" and the German "quälen" = "to inflict pain, torture", and the Norse "barn" or "bairn" and the English "born" are etymologically related).
Coat Of Arms
This coat of arms was sent to me by Friedrich Barnikel. The accompanying text (in German) reads: "The Barnikel family, a very old and noble clan, originates from (the German state of) Brandenburg. Joachim Barnikel, burgher and alderman in Quedlinburg [today in the German state of Saxony - Anhalt], sealed a deed in the city archive thereat, on 19. March 1586. Denotation of the coat of arms: purity, clemency, strength of faith, nobility, prosperity, manliness, defense of the noble virtues.".
If you are surprised that the crest doesn't show a pillaging viking, you should keep in mind that these insignia did not develop gradually through history, instead they were a fashion originating from court tournaments. In most cases, wealthy and respected citizens would go to an official crest designer, who would try to come up with something flash to impress his customer; truthfulness and historical accuracy were practically irrelevant.
Barnikels On The Map
As far as I can tell from personal experience, reading phone books and searching for Barnikels on the internet, there seem to be three distinct centers of Barnikel settlement:
- England
- Southern Germany
- U. S. East Coast
- according to Les Barnikel, there is a large settlement of Barnikels in Pembrokeshire, West Wales (U. K.).
Barnikels Off The Map
Places where I checked the telephone directory and did not find any Barnikels listed:
- Roma
- Paris
- Cardiff / Caerdydd
To be continued ...
Barnikel vs. Barnickel
The most popular alternative spelling of the name seems to be "Barnickel"; there seem to be far more Barnickels than the c - less variant. However, it appears that the simple - k - version is etymologically more proper.
Really Famous Barnikels
Zilch. So far.
Barnikels In Arms
There was one Luftwaffe WWII flying ace by that name. As it turns out, he was the father of Friedrich Barnikel.
Barnikels In Literature
It is open to debate whether the names "Barnikel" and "Barnacle" are related, but of course the latter is widely used in prose and song as a synonym for a sailor. Charles Dickens uses a Decimus Tite Barnacle in his novel "Little Dorrit", "a senior official in the Circumlocution Office, where everything goes round in circles, and nothing ever gets done".
Thankfully, as I mentioned earlier, there is a British historian and author who encorporates the name in two of his novels, "Sarum" and "London" (ISBN 0449002632), thus saving it from literary oblivion. In the latter book he traces a fictional Barnikel family through the history of London, from Hrothgar the Dane in 1066 a. d. to Orlando the dark Barnikel (a negro pirate) to Admiral Sir William Barnikel, one of London's civil defense commanders during the "Blitz". Here is a short excerpt, in which Rutherfurd also renders his version of the etymology of the name (unfortunately I only have the German translation): "Hrothgar der Däne überragte seinen sächsischen Freund um einiges. Er hatte einen dichten, roten Haarschopf und einen ebenso dichten und fast einen Meter langen, roten Bart. Dieser riesige Wikingernachfahre konnte mit jeder Hand einen erwachsenen Mann hochheben. Er war so berühmt für seine periodischen Wutanfälle, bei denen sein Gesicht so rot wurde wie seine Haare. Wenn er mit der Faust auf den Tisch schlug, erblaßten starke Männer, wenn er ein tiefes Brüllen ausstieß, wurden die Türen aller Nahe gelegenen Häuser geschlossen. Dennoch achteten die Nachbarn den reichen, mächtigen Edelmann sehr, was wohl auf seine Vorfahren zurückzuführen war. Vor zwei Jahrhunderten hatte sich sein Ururgroßvater den Ruf eines furchterregenden Wikingerkriegers verdient, der jedoch Kinder stets verschonte. Sein Befehl "Bairn ni kel!" -- Tötet keine Kinder! -- war so bekannt, dass ihm daraus ein Spitzname erwachsen war. Fünf Generationen hiessen seine Nachfahren noch immer Barn-ni-kel. Da er auf dem östlichen der zwei Londoner Hügel lebte und an der am Fuß dieses Hügels liegenden Anlegestelle Billingsgate seinen Handel abwickelte, war er bekannt als Barnikel von Billingsgate.".
I haven't read "Sarum" yet, but I can whole - heartedly recommend "London" to anyone with even the slightest interest in history. Even though it weighs in at a hefty 800 - plus pages, I ripped through it almost in one go.
Barnikels In The Fine Arts
Jo Barnikel is a keyboard player based in Southern Germany who has performed in Konstantin Wecker's band.
Barnikels In The Movie Industry
Philip Barnikel is a geezer who used to work as an editor on a number of B - type flicks in the early 1960ies to 70ies; his works include "Blood Beast From Outer Space", "Lesbian Twins" and "Story Of A Nympho". He seems like my kinda guy!
Barnikels In Outer Space
NASA named a peculiar looking stone on Mars "Barnacle Bill".
OK, Mars isn't exactly outer space, and it's not Barnikel either, but it's still interesting to look at.
Barnikels On The Internet
E.mail me if you want to be listed here.
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