ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1227 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1227 ************************************ 17 Oct 1998 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked for help choosing a 16th century Scottish Gaelic masculine name, with or as your given name, , , or as your father's name. Here is what we have found. In your period, there were two languages spoken in Scotland: Gaelic, spoken in the Highlands, and Scots, spoken in the Lowlands, including the towns and the royal court. Gaelic is the same language spoken in Ireland at this time; Scots is closely related to contemporary English. Names were formed quite differently in the two languages, and the two styles of naming did not mix. Therefore, the culture you choose for your persona will determine how your name should be constructed. is a Frankish, French, English, and Scots name. It was quite common in England and France in a variety of spellings throughout the Middle Ages. It spread to the Lowlands of Scotland in the 15th century and was common there by the early 16th century [1]. We found these Scottish examples [2]: Gavann (1501) Gavane (1502) Gavinn (1520, 1521) Gawane (1521) was eventually adopted into Scottish Gaelic as [3], but we have found no evidence that it was used in Gaelic in period. We do not recommend this name for your period unless you decide on a Scots (Lowland) persona. is a Scots spelling of the Gaelic name , pronounced \MULL-cohl-um\, with \MULL\ rhyming with [4]. is an English or Scots name, quite common in Scotland in your period. In Scots records, it is spelled various ways: , , , [4]. The Gaelic form is , pronounced \YOAN~\ or \OAN~\, with \OA\ representing the same vowel as in the word , and representing the sound of n-tilde in Spanish words like or of in French words like [3, 5]. is a modern spelling that appeared only in the 19th century and should not be used for pre-1600 re-creation [6]. is a fine Gaelic name, but this is an earlier-period spelling. In your period, the name would have been spelled and pronounced \MAH-noos\ [4]. Most men in period Gaelic Scotland were known as their father's sons. the son of would have been called , pronounced \MULL-cohl-um mahk MAH-nish\. You'll notice that the spelling and pronunciation of have changed. The extra in the last syllable puts the name into the possessive form, just as <'s> makes into in English. Using as the father's name, Maolcholuim would have been called . The possessive form of is spelled the same as the regular form; this surname could have been pronounced \mahk OAN~\ or \mahk AIN~\, with \AI\ being the vowel in . Gaelic was rarely used as a written language in period Scotland. Documents from your period were almost always written in Scots, and Gaelic names were often recorded in Scots forms. Common given names were translated into their Scots forms; surnames were usually transliterated. The two names we discussed above might have been written as and , respectively [4]. I hope this letter has been useful. Please write us again if any part of it has been unclear or if you have other questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Talan Gwynek. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 17 Oct 1998 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988). [2] --, The manuscript Aberdeen Council Registers, Volumes 8 (1501-9) & 10 (1518-21), in the Aberdeen City Archives. [3] Morgan, Peadar, _Ainmean Chloinne: Scottish Gaelic Names for Children_ (Scotland: Taigh na Teud Music Publishers, 1989). [4] Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History_, (New York: The New York Public Library, 1986), s.nn. Malcolm, MacGillies, MacCrimmon, MacGillewie, MacFillevernan, MacManus, Macian, Mackean. [5] O/ Corra/in, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire, _Irish Names_ (Dublin: The Lilliput Press, 1990). [6] Dunkling, Leslie and William Gosling, _The New American Dictionary of First Names_ (New York: Signet Books, 1983).