ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1146
http://www.s-gabriel.org/1146
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From: "S Friedemann" 
19 Aug 1998

Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel!

You wanted to know if <Broinnfhionn nic Coinnich> or <Broinnfhionn inghean
Coinnich> would be used as Scottish Gaelic feminine name in the 16th
century.  If your surname was not appropriate, you wanted the Gaelic form of
<MacKenzie>.  Here is the information we have found.

<Broinnfhionn>, pronounced \BRIN-yin\, is a later spelling of the name
<Broinnfhind>.  [1, 2]  We only have evidence that it was used in Ireland in
period, and not in Scotland; it would be better recreation to choose a name
that was used in Scotland.

<MacKenzie> is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname <mac Coinnich> "son
of Coinneach."  The proper feminine form would be <inghean Choinnich>,
pronounced \NEE-yen KHIN-ee\. [3]

Since we have not found <Broinnfhionn> in Scotland, you might want to
consider using a different name.  A list of Scottish Gaelic names that would
be appropriate can be found at this website in our library:

     "Some Scottish Gaelic Feminine Names"
     http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/arval/scotgaelfem/

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, Arval Benicoeur, Effric neyn Kenneoch, and Zenobia Naphtali.

For the Academy,
--Arianuia de Cair Mirdin
     August 19, 1998

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References:

[1] O/ Corra/in, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire, _Irish Names_ (Dublin: The
Lilliput Press, 1990)

[2] O/ Riain, Pa/draig, ed., _Corpus Genealogiarum Sanctorum Hiberniae_
(Dublin: The Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1985).

[3] Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and
History_, (New York: The New York Public Library, 1986). s.n. Mackenzie