Dietrich

Dietrich is a German given name derived from the Old High German elements theud, meaning people or nation, and rihhi, meaning power or ruler, making the overall sense ruler of the people. It is the German form of a name found across Germanic languages, corresponding to Theodoric in Latinized form and appearing as Dirk in Dutch and Derek in English. The name was famously borne by Theodoric the Great, the Ostrogothic king who ruled Italy in the late fifth and early sixth centuries, and his legend gave rise to the medieval German hero Dietrich von Bern celebrated in epic poetry. The name has also been associated with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the twentieth-century German theologian.