The Hobbits of the Shire did not (of course) speak any modern language, and so their original names would have been quite alien-sounding to us. For this reason, Tolkien replaced most of their original placenames and personal names with more modern-sounding equivalents.
For example, when a famous old Hobbit of the Zaragamba ('Oldbuck') clan founded a new land beyond the eastern border of the Shire, his family name was changed to Brandagamba, which we know by its more familiar translation, 'Brandybuck'. However, this isn't a literal translation, and the element branda properly meant 'borderland' in reference to the newly founded country of Buckland. Using the old English word 'march' for a border region, Tolkien suggests that 'Brandybuck' might in fact be more literally rendered as 'Marchbuck'.
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- Updated 21 November 2011
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