 Surrey may have formed part of a larger Middle Saxon kingdom or confederacy, also including areas north of the Thames.The name Surrey is derived from (or ), meaning "southern region", and this may originate in its status as the southern portion of the Middle Saxon territory.If it ever existed, the Middle Saxon kingdom had disappeared by the 7th century, and Surrey became a frontier area disputed between the kingdoms of Kent, Essex, Sussex, Wessex and Mercia, until its permanent absorption by Wessex in 825.