ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1144 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1144 ************************************ From: "S Friedemann" 14 Aug 1998 Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You wanted help creating a French feminine name for the 14th and early 15th century, possible using or as your given name. Here is the information we have found. In modern French, is widely used by both men and women [3]. We've found the masculine name in Paris as in 1292 and in Lorraine as and in a variety of other forms in 1267-1298, but no period feminine form [1, 2]. A variety of modern surnames derive from and , the more common forms of the masculine name in northern France, and from , the common form in the south. Such surnames derive from someone's given name, probably in the 14th or 15th century, so the masculine name was definitely common in your period; but we don't see any surnames derived from feminine forms [3, 4]. We have very few sources for 14th or 15th century French names, so we can't say for certain that the feminine name wasn't used, but we can't recommend it as good re-creation: it is likely that the feminine is a modern innovation. We also found the forms and , Provencal masculine and feminine forms of , in the 12th and 13th century. [5] This is a few centuries too early for your period, but it was the closest that we found. , (note the extra after the ), was the patron of Paris; the various forms , , and are all found in a 1292 census of Paris [1]. Since is still used today, we are confident that it was also used in your period [3]. If you're interested in looking for a different name, you might want to read the following article in our library: "Names from Fourteenth Century Foix" http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/cateline/foix.html During your period, the French still used bynames (nicknames), rather than inherited surnames as we think of today. The bynames could be based on family relationships, place of residence, occupation, or some personal characteristic. These names weren't permanent; the same person could be identified by different bynames in different circumstances. If you have any ideas on what you'd like for a byname, feel free to write again, and we'd be glad to make some suggestions. 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 Juliana de Luna. For the Academy, --Arianuia filia Catmaili August 14, 1998 --------------------------------------- References: [1] Colm Dubh, "An Index to the Given Names in the 1292 Census of Paris", Proceedings of the Known World Heraldic Symposium 1996 (SCA: Montgomery, Alabama; WWW: SCA, Inc., 1997) [2] Jacobsson, Harry, _E/tudes d'Anthrponymie Lorraine les Bans de Tre'fonds de Metz (1267-1298)_ [doctoral thesis] (Go:teborg: Gumperts Fo:rlag, 1955) [3] Dauzat, Albert, _Dictionnaire Etymologique des Noms de Famille et Prenoms de France_ (Paris: Libraire Larousse, 1987). [4] Morlet, Marie-Therese, _Dictionnaire E/tymologique des Noms de Famille_ (Librairie Acade/mique Perrin, 1997) [5] Chambers, Frank M., _Proper Names in the Lyrics of the Troubadours_ (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1971).