ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1220 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1220 ************************************ 10 Aug 1998 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked for information about the surname . This letter is a brief answer to your question. The Academy tries to help people to choose names to suit a particular time and place in history. Since you didn't tell us anything about the persona that goes with the name, we can't do that for you. We can give you some general information about the name and when and where it was used, and point you to some sources where you can learn more about names from that period. If your aim is to find documentation for a name so that you can register it with the SCA College of Arms, we may or may not be able to help you. Documenting submissions isn't our focus: We want to help you to choose and use a name that fits the historical culture you are re-creating. 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. The modern surname derives from more than one original Gaelic name. In Scotland, is found as a modern form of , which was itself an anglicized spelling of the Gaelic name "son of Eoin (John)" [1]. In Ireland, is an English spelling of either or . (The slash represents an accent on the previous letter.) The former of the names was recorded in English around 1600 as , , and . The latter name means "son of Catha/n", and was recorded in English records c.1600 as [2]. For more information about period Gaelic names, we recommend the following articles available on the web: Scottish Names 101 http://www.stanford.edu/~skrossa/medievalscotland/scot_names_101.html Quick and Easy Gaelic Bynames http://www.stanford.edu/~skrossa/medievalscotland/quick_gaelic_bynames.html It was not clear from your letter whether you intend to use as your society given name. If so, you may want to reconsider: Although there were a few early Irish clerics who adopted for religious reasons, the name was not ever in common usage in period Gaelic, either in Ireland or Scotland. If you'd like a similar-sounding name, you might want to consider , a common Gaelic man's name [3]. I hope this brief letter has been useful. Please write us again if you have any questions or would like more information on medieval Irish names. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Talan Gwynek. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 10 Aug 1998 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History_, (New York: The New York Public Library, 1986), s.n. Mackain. [2] Woulfe, Patrick, _Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames_ (Kansas City: Irish Genealogical Foundation), s.nn. Mac Ea/in, Mac Catha/in. [3] O/ Corra/in, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire, _Irish Names_ (Dublin: The Lilliput Press, 1990). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -