Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 057

Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 057

This report is available at http://www.s-gabriel.org/057

This is one of the Academy's earliest reports. We are not confident that these early reports are accurate. Please use it with caution.

Greetings,

This is the information we found on the name "Jethro."

As your own research showed, "Jethro" wasn't used much before the 17th century. The earliest actual citation we found was Jethro Tull in 1674, although the same author, a reliable source, says that the name came into use during the Reformation (1).

With a very few exceptions, names from the Old Testament were not used as names in Western Europe until the Reformation. In England, the use of Old Testament names was started mainly by Puritans. Although it would be reasonable to use "Jethro" as a Puritan name from the very end of period, it wouldn't be a likely name before that time.

We hope this has been helpful, if not exactly the answer you wanted. If you're interested in names from a specific culture, we can help you find sources and information so that you can find a name that is plausible for your period. If you're interested in developing a Puritan persona, we can also provide some information on doing so.

In Service,
Alan Fairfax
Academy of St. Gabriel