Two gothic parts constitute the name HOUDRY {1}:
"hold" means gothic and "hari" means army. Its phonetic
evolution is as follows {2,3,4}.
The roman prototype was "uldericus".
The initial pretonic element disappeared and the popular roman form [*oldrikus]
appeared. In the IVth century, the intervocalic [c] voiced and gave the form
[*oldrigus]. It degenerated during the VIth century, [g] became a gamma and the
tone of the final vowel became almost as "o": the form [*oldrigos] appeared.
In the VIIth century, the final "o" was no longer audible in the form
[*oldrigs]. In the IXth century, the final compound [gs] also disappeared and the
name became as [*oldri]. Then the form evolved in [u(l)dri] by the vocalization of
the velar "l" before the "d".
Genealogical searches have been conducted by
the authors in the French area called "Brie des Morins" (approximately
between the towns of Coulommiers and La Ferté-Gaucher in the departement of
Seine-et-Marne near Paris). The old writing HOULDRY has been found in the oldest
registers for the two following catholic parishes: St-Rémy-de-la-Vanne and
Jouy-sur-Morin.
For this area at least, HOUDRY was (and is)
always written with an initial H and a final Y. The initial H sometimes disappears
eastwards or westwards. The final Y never disappears.