Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 071

Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 071

This report is available at http://www.s-gabriel.org/071

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,

Here is the information we found about the name "Lars."

"Lars" is derived from the Latin name "Laurentius," the name of a popular saint. "Laurentius" came into England as "Lawrence" and France as "Laurent." Names derived from Christianity did not gain popularity in Scandinavia until the 13th century, by which time Scandinavian influences in England and France were quite small. The Latin name "Laurentius" is found in Scandinavia as early as the mid-1100's, and early Scandinavian forms of the name include "Larens" (c. 1300) (1), "Lafranz," (c. 1300) (2), and "Lasse" (1330). We found "Laurs" in 1391, and "Lars" in 1448. (3) So while "Lars" would be very appropriate for a Scandinavian after the 14th century, it would not be found in England or France. Either the English "Lawrence" or the French "Laurent" would be more likely.

We found a large number of variant forms of "Lawrence" in English, both as a first and last name. A selection of them below should give you some idea of the number of forms of the name:

We are both willing and able to help you find a surname. Whether you choose to be from English, French, or a Scandinavian culture, we can assist you in finding an appropriate surname.

Hartmann Rogge, Lindorm Eriksson, Arval D'Espas Nord, Ivanor of Sighty Crag, and Tangwstyl verch Morgant Glasvryn all assisted in researching your name.

In Service,
Alan Fairfax
Academy of St. Gabriel

(1) Modeer, Ivar: 'Svenska Personnamn', Lund 1989.

(2) Jansson, SBF: 'Runinskrifter i Sverige', Varnamo 1985.

(3) Knudsen, Kristiansen & Hornby. "Danmarks Gamle Personnavne. Kóbenhavn 1949-1964.

(4) Withycombe, E.G., The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, 3rd ed., Oxford University Press.

(5) Bardsley, Charles, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1980.

(6) Reaney, P.H., A Dictionary of British Surnames, 2nd ed., Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1976.