My summary is oversimplified. I still think it’s the correct answer to OP’s question: is there physical evidence. Because there isn’t anything physical. But there are written records from a bit later, suggesting that somebody with that name must have existed. Glad someone else thinks I picked the correct article. Seems it’s not that easy to find good information. The English speaking internet is filled with low quality efforts to portray the facts in a way they’d like to have them.
I have a few good books though. Back when I was young (and became an atheist,) I used to read a lot about philosophy, the political message of the New Testament. And what life was like in that time.
I think what you mean is compound words vs other words?
Wikipedia says there are lots of compound words in English.
Plaintiff is borrowed from Old French. Litigation from Latin…
I suppose it boils down to when and under what circumstances a term was needed to describe something. Sometimes there was a word from another language available. Or the whole subject came from a different culture. And sometimes they just described it with a compound of what it resembles. And how to make up terms probably also depends on what is en vogue at the time.