There are still some contrasts about the meaning of "Lombards":it could either mean "the men with long swords" or "the men with the long beards".However,the majority of historicians agree with the second meaning.As a matter of fact there is a Lombard legend about their own origins which says that they were preparing to fight against another Germanic tribe and they were unsure about their victory,so their women prayed Frigg to let the Lombards win.Frigg talked to Wotan about it and he answered "I'll give the victory to the first warriors who I will see when I wake up tomorrow morning".A powerful Lombard shaman,Gambara,told the women about Wotan's answer and told them to comb their long hair forwards so that they could hide their faces and to go to the battlefield before dawn.As soon as Wotan woke up and saw them,he asked Frigg:"Who might these men with long beards be?".And Frigg answered:"Since you have given them a name,you can give them the victory too".So the Lombards were the winners of the battle.
It is also useful to mention that Paul Warnefrid,better known with his Latin nickname Paulus Diaconus,tells us in his Historia Langobardorum that in the origins they were called "Winniles",which means "the victorious wolves",probably referring to some warriors who were very similar to Viking ulfhedhnar.