Origin of Bilbo's Name
John R.

I've always been bothered by the name "Bilbo".   It sounds childish and ridiculous

So imagine my surprise when I stumbled across the following definition of the word in my dictionary.

The word "bilbo", perhaps derived from the Spanish word Bilboa, is defined as "sword" and "a long bar of iron with sliding shackles used to confine the feet of prisoners [especially] on shipboard."

Hmm, maybe this Baggins guy is made of sterner stuff than appears on the surface.  Now, where have I heard that before?