ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1039 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1039 ************************************ From: "S Friedemann" 10 Jun 1998 Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked for help documenting the German masculine name , meaning "eagle," and the Welsh or Celtic masculine name , both of which you wanted to use between 1250 and 1300. Here is the information we have found. Before I start, I'd like to clarify the service that the Academy offers. We try to help Societyfolk in choosing and using names that fit the historical cultures they are trying to re-create. Our research can sometimes be used to support submissions to the College of Arms, but that it not our goal and our results are often incompatible with the College's needs. If your main goal is to register a particular name, then we may not be able to help you. We did not find , though we did find , a German archaic and poetic word for a bird of prey, often an eagle. There is one example from 1258 of a , "Frid. called 'Ar,'" probably called such in reference to the bird. [1] In 1295, we find a man who was recorded simply as [2]; however, this is probably just a short form for a name such as . We did find the surname , though, as a patronymic surname (surname based on the father's name), where the father's name was probably . we had more luck with. We find in 1292, and in 1301 [4]. Based on these, the spelling seems reasonable for a Welshman in the late 13th and early 14th century. However, it would be impossible to combine the German with the Welsh , as we have no evidence that the Germans and the Welsh had such contact that would result in the sharing of names. If you would like to keep the sound, but have a totally Welsh name, we find the similar spelling of , a variant of , in your chosen period [3]. A name such as ("ap" means "son of") would be a possible name, though culturally far from where you started. If you would like more help constructing an authentic German name, please contact us again and we will be glad to help. 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 Talan Gwynek. For the Academy, --Aryanhwy merch Catmael Caermrydin June 10, 1998 ------------------------------------------------ References: [1] Bahlow, Hans, _Mittelhochdeutsches Namenbuch nach schlesischen Quellen_ (Neustadt (an der Aisch): Degener, 1975), s.n. Ahr [2] Brechenmacher, Josef Karlmann, _Etymologisches Worterbuch der deutschen familiennamen_ (Limburg a. d. Lahn, C. A. Starke-Verlag, 1957-1960). s.n. Ahr(er) [3] Morgan, T.J. and Prys Morgan, _Welsh Surnames_ (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1985) [4] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995)