ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1068 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1068 ************************************ 6 Jul 1998 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked for information about , which you want to use as Scottish name some time before 1250. Here is what we have found. is probably a post-period Scots spelling of or , a Gaelic given name that was popularly associated with , but which is in fact completely unrelated. Scots was a language closely related to English, spoken in the Lowlands in late-period Scotland. It is distinct from Gaelic and was the usual written language at that period. In your period, this name was pronounced roughly \TAHR-thel-vahkh\ (with \th\ as in and \kh\ representing the harsh, rasping sound in Scottish or German ). The name was very popular in the later Middle Ages, perhaps because it was borne by some of the greatest Irish kings of the 11th and 12th centuries [1]. We find one example of this name in 1251, but the earliest evidence we can find of a spelling like is about 1440, when, for example, we find the name recorded in a Scots document [2]. Since you want a Gaelic name appropriate before 1250, we recommend that you use the Gaelic spelling , which we believe to be most appropriate for your period. is a form of a Gaelic given name that was spelled or in your period in Scotland [1, 4]. The name is a Gaelic phrase meaning "servant of [Saint] Mary", but it was used in Gaelic as a man's given name from about the 9th century onward [3]. It is pronounced \GILL-a VUR-eh\. Most people in Gaelic culture were known as their father's sons or daughters. If you intend your name to mean "Tearlach son of Gille Muire", then the proper construction in the 11th or early 12th century is , \TAHR-thel-vahkh mahk GILL-a VUR-eh\. If you intend your name to mean "Tearlach the servent of Mary", then we suggest you reconsider: We haven't found any evidence that people used names like that in your period. I hope this letter has been useful. Please write us again if any part of it has been unclear or if you have other questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Talan Gwynek and Effrick neyn Kenyeoch vc Ralte. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 29 Jun 1998 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] O/ Corra/in, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire, _Irish Names_ (Dublin: The Lilliput Press, 1990), p.169. [2] Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History_, (New York: The New York Public Library, 1986), s.nn. MacKerley, MacDonald. [3] O/ Cui/v, Brian, "Aspects of Irish Personal Names" in _Celtica_, vol.18 (1986), pp.151-184. [4] Effric neyn Kenyeoch vc Ralte, "A Simple Guide to Constructing 12th Century Scottish Bynames", (WWW: Privately published, 18 June 1997). http://www.stanford.edu/~skrossa/medievalscotland/simple_sc_gaelic_names_12.html - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -