Does anyone know what Iceni means? I know about the Iceni Tribe and Boudicca but what does the name mean?

Answer 1

Iceni (or Eceni) is thought to mean "horse people".

ADDITION: with all due respect for Grendle, that theory does not work in this situation. Prior to the Roman invasion of Britain there were distinct tribes that had coinage etc.Therefore there is written evidence of the tribal names prior to any Roman interpretation. Coins from the (modern) Norfolk area bear the word "Eceni" or similar, unlike coins from other areas. therefore we can assume that this was their own name for themselves. If you look in a modern dictionary, you will find a source of the word "iceni" as coming from Latin, this is very simplistic. Something akin to "iceni" existed prior to the Roman invasion. It was probably some form of pre-Celtic language. The Romans then adopted it, transliterated it (viz: Boudicca/Boadicea) but we are trying to source it. Coins from 10 BC exist with the name "Iceni/Ecini". All those coins bear images of horses. There is thought to be a connection.

Answer 2

Since the name was a Roman transliteration of their (probably lost) original, an accurate translation is impossible. Alas.
Most names that are designated by conquering peoples are, well, odd. For instance, when the conquistadores landed on the coast of Central America, they asked the locals what the name of the place was, and were told "Yucatan," which means "I don't understand your language." But the name stuck.
However that may be, it is likely that, like most people's names for themselves, "Iceni" (or however it was pronounced) would carry the semantic weight of "the people" (and by extension, anyone else would be "the aliens").
See, what people MEAN is the point here. When a group identifies itself as distinct from other groups - whether by language, practice, clothing, diet, genotype, or whatever other characteristic they choose - the name they select for their group is effectively irrelevant.
So, "Iceni" is Roman-ish for "Those guys there." It might have been the name "those guys there" used for a particular brook, or valley, or monument, or leading family.
Sorry, you have asked an unanswerable question, unless you have a time machine about the place.

Answer 3

I've looked at a number of websites about Roman Britain and whilst there is loads of stuff about the Iceni, I've been unable to find an explanation for the meaning of the name. No derivation is given in Collins Dictionary, either. Be interested to know if anyone can come up with an answer.