ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1101 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1101 ************************************ From: 30 Jul 1998 Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked us about the feminine Persian name , or something similar. 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. None of our members knows much about Persian names, so we will not be able to help you construct a complete name. Neither could we find a name transliterated as in Persian or any other language. The similar name or is probably a 19th century English invention, a variant of or [1,2]. The name or is an English spelling of a relatively common Persian name. It is also the name of the heroine of the popular 12th century tale of 'Leila and Majnun' [1,3]. In addition to this literary source for the name, the caliph 'Umar I (c.581-644) was known as , which means "father of Layla" [4,5]. On the basis of this evidence, we can recommend the name as an early feminine name in Arabic and possibly Persian. We hope this has been helpful, and that we can continue to assist you. Talan Gwynek, Arval Benicoeur, and Pedro de Alcazar contributed to this letter. In service, --Walraven van Nijmegen Academy of S. Gabriel [1] E.G. Withycombe, _The Oxford Dictionary of English Chriatian Names_ 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University PRess, 1988) [2] Leslie Dunkling & William Gossling, _The New American Dictionary of First Names_ (New York: Signet Books, 1983) [3] Paul Brians, _Study Guide for Nizami: "Layla and Majnun" (1188)_ http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/love-in-the-arts/layla.html It references Gelpke, R., trans., _The Story of Layla and Majnun, by Nizami_ (New Lebanon, NY: Omega Publications, ISBN 0-930872-52-5). [4] Annemarie Schimmel, _Islamic Names_ (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1989). [5] Patrick Hanks & Flavia Hodges, _A Dictionary of First Names_ (New York: Oxford University Press, 1990)