ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1027 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1027 ************************************ From: "S Friedemann" 7 Jun 1998 Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked about the name and its spelling variants. Here is the information we have found. The closest name we could find to is the Welsh masculine name . [1] The various spellings that we found are , , , and in 1295, 1320, 1325, late 13th century, , , 1406, and 16th century. [1] In such forms as , the represents the sound of in . It was one of the most common masculine names in Wales. These names are roughly pronounced \EY-nyahn\ (\ey\ rhyming with "hey.") In South Wales, the second in is not pronounced, thus producing the form . While we have not found any examples of this specifcally, we find an in the late 13th century [2] and in the late 16th century. Other variants beginning with "Ein-" appear contemporary with these, so your spelling of appears plausible. Before the 13th century, the second was represented as a diphthong (e.g., [4]); if was in use, it was probably between the 13th and 16th century. For more information on constructing Welsh names, we suggest you read the following articles in our library: "A Simple Guide to Constructing 13th Century Welsh Names" http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/welsh13.html "A Simple Guide to Constructing 16th Century Welsh Names (in English Contexts)" http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/welsh16.html We hope that this letter has been useful to you and that you will not hesitate to write again if any part was unclear or if you have further questions. Research and commentary on this letter was provided by Arval Benicoeur, Talan Gwynek, and Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn. For the Academy, Aryanhwy merch Catmael Caermyrdin ----------------------------------------------------- References: [1] Morgan, T.J. and Prys Morgan, _Welsh Surnames_ (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1985). [2] Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasfryn, "Names and Naming Practices in the Merioneth Lay Subsidy Roll 1292-3", in Known World Heraldic Symposium Proceedings, 1991 (SCA: Laurel, Maryland, 1991). [3] Lewis, E.A. "The Toll Books of Some North Pembrokeshire Fairs (1599-1603)" in "The Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies" vol. VII, part III (1934). [4] Evans, J. Gwenogvryn ed. "The Text of the Book of Llan Dav." Aberystwyth: The National Library of Wales, 1979.