Oooh, neat!

In England, [bread] provided a foundation for naming social relations. "Lord" comes from the Anglo-Saxon hlaford, "loaf ward," the master who supplies food; "lady" from hlaefdige, "loaf kneeder," the person whose retinue produces what her husband distributes; "companion" and "company" from the late Latin companio, or "one who shares bread."

-From On Food and Cooking: the Science and Lore of the Kitchen, Harold McGee (c) 2004

For those of you wondering, this is a great book. If you're into science and cooking and historical bits, it's a wonderful blend of them all.

Now I want to name somebody Hlaford....