ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1173 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1173 ************************************ From: "S Friedemann" 2 Sep 1998 Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You wanted to know if the feminine names and would have been used in England or Scotland around 1400. Here is the information we have found. In one study of English names from 1379, we found 23 examples of , making it the 14th most common name in that list. [1] Other variant spellings that we found are 1396, 1440, 1440, , 1440, and 1487. [2] In the same list from 1379, was the most common name, with 401 examples. [1] It is also spelled in 1395. Other forms that we've found are , , , and , all found in the 14th and 15th centuries. [2] Any of these are excellent choices for an early 15th century English name. is found in 1374 in a list of Scottish names. [3] This is probably the Latin form of the name, and or would represent the everyday form of the name. The first reference we found to in Scotland is in 1561, which is past your desired period. [8] However, was common enough in England that it could have been used in Scotland, at least in the southern end. While both of the names you have chosen are authentic for your desired period depending on the culture you choose to use, two given names in either Scottish or English culture was extremely rare in period. We have no examples of two given names in Scotland, and only one or possibly two examples of it in England. It would be much better practice to choose and use just one of the names. For your period, we found an English in 1327 and in 1246. [5] is also listed as a place name in 1250, so it is certainly possible that it had become a surname by the 14th century. [6] In Scotland, we find the byname (nickname) , which means "the Red," in the 13th-14th century. [4] Other variants that we found are 1363, 1409, 1413, , , 1484-6. [7] The earliest we find the spelling is 1486. or are fine 14th century English names. In Scotland in the same period, would be an excellent name. and the plain surname are also plausible, but less desirable because we cannot show that they were used in Scotland at this time. 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, Walraven van Nijmegen, AElfwyn aet Gyrwum, Talan Gwynek, Marcello Caprioli, and Margaret Makafee. For the Academy, --Arianuia filia Catmaili September 2, 1998 --------------------------------------- References: [1] Talan Gwynek, "Yorkshire Given Names from 1379" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1997) . http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/talan/yorkshire/yorkshiref.html [2] Talan Gwynek, "Feminine Given Names in _A Dictionary of English Surnames_" (SCA: KWHS Proceedings, 1994; WWW: J. Mittleman, 1997) . http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/talan/reaney/ [3] Talan Gwynek, "A List of Feminine Personal Names found in Scottish Records" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1996). http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/talan/scottishfem/ [4] Symon Freser of Lovat, "13th & 14th Century Scottish Names" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1996) . http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/symonFreser/scottish14/ [5] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995). [6] Ekwall, Eilert, _The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names_, 4th edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991). [7] Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History_, (New York: The New York Public Library, 1986). [8] Unpublished research of Margaret Makafee