Here's the old boy himself (Isambard Kingdom Brunel) standing next to his broad gauge (7 feet 1/4 inch) driving wheels. Brunel's name is an amalgamation of his parents' names. He inherited the family name of his father, and his middle name is his mother's surname. Brunel's first name, Isambard, comes from his father's middle name, which was also his father's preferred given name. Isambard is a Norman name of Germanic origin, meaning iron-bright. Rather fitting for Brunel's use of cast iron.