ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1250 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1250 ************************************ ************************************************* * * * NOTE: Later research turned up additional * * information relevant to this report. * * See the end of the letter for details. * * * ************************************************* 9 Oct 1998 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether is an appropriate name for a late 16th century Scotsman from the Isle of Lewis. 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 and the towns. 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. Gaelic was spoken on Lewis in your period. Your name is nearly correct for that culture, but we have a few suggestions for improving it. is modern Scottish Gaelic name, but we have not found an example recorded before the 19th century [1, 2, 2a]. Although is quite common in modern usage, it was apparently unknown in your period. The Gaelic form of that was used in Scotland in your period is . Please note the spelling of the Gaelic name; you mis-spelled it in your letter. was pronounced \OAN~\ or \YOAN~\. The \OA\ is the vowel in ; \N~\ is the sound of the Spanish n-tilde, as in , or of the in French . is probably not quite correct, but since we're not sure what you intend it to mean, we have to guess at what would be correct. We suspect you want it to mean "grandson of Gille Mhuire". was a masculine given name, a good choice for someone in your lineage [4]. If you called yourself , that would mean "Eoin, son of the son of Gille Mhuire" [5]. This name would have been pronounced \OAN~ mahk vick YILL-a VUR-eh\. Those extra h's in the name represent changes in pronunciation that are required by Gaelic grammar in some circumstances. It is possible that this name might have been contracted to "Eoin, grandson of Gille Mhuire", but we have only one questionable bit of evidence to support that construction [6]. The contracted form could also be interpreted as a possessive, meaning "of Eoin mac Gille Mhuire". On balance we recommend against using the contracted form. It was much more typical for a man of your culture to be known as his father's son, even if he was illegitimate. If your father's name were , you would be called or . If you were known simply as your grandfather's grandson, your name would refer to your paternal grandfather, not your maternal grandfather. Naming through the maternal line was essentially unknown in Gaelic Scotland. Few documents were written in Gaelic in Scotland. In your period, the normal language of writing was Scots. So, if your name had been written down, it would have been in Scots. Gaelic names were transcribed into Scots in a variety of ways. Recognizable given names were usually translated; Gaelic phrases were usually transliterated. was understood to be the same name as , and Scots scribes rendered it with one of a variety of spellings of [3]. The byname might have been written , , or . and are pretty much interchangable. could have been written as [7]. Since you mentioned that you are designing your arms, we thought you'd like to know that your persona probably would not have used heraldry. Heraldry was rare in Highland society, although it was quite common in the Lowlands. In Gaelic culture, we only know of arms used by chieftains and, in a few cases, by their close relatives [8]. Given the ample evidence in the Lowlands, one might conclude that heraldic display in the Highlands was restricted to the higher nobility. This doesn't necessarily mean that you shouldn't use heraldry: Many people in the Society use arms even though their personas would not have done so. You can find a few thoughts on this issue on the web: What Do I Use for Arms if my Persona Wouldn't Have Used Arms? http://www.itd.umich.edu/~ximenez/s.gabriel/faq/nonheraldic.html 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, Effrick neyn Kenneoch, Aryanhwy merch Catmael, and Tangywstyl verch Morgant Glasvryn. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 9 Oct 1998 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Dunkling, Leslie and William Gosling, _The New American Dictionary of First Names_ (New York: Signet Books, 1983). [2] Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History_, (New York: The New York Public Library, 1986). , s.n. MacCallum. This example appears in the Highland Papers, a 19th century genealogical and historical document. The person named was a Gael who lived in 1647, but his name was recorded in a 19th century Scots form. [2a] Josh Mittleman (Arval Benicoeur), "Concerning the Name Iain, Ian, and Eoin" (WWW: The Problem Names Project, Sharon L. Krossa, 1999) http://www.medievalscotland.org/problem/names/iain.shtml [3] For example: 1591, 1596, 1600. Black, op cit., s.n. MacBirnie, MacGillewie, Macandie. [4] Krossa, Sharon L. (Effric neyn Kenyeoch vc Ralte), "A Simple Guide to Constructing 12th Century Scottish Gaelic Names", (WWW: Privately published, 18 June 1997). http://www.stanford.edu/~skrossa/medievalscotland/scotnames/simplescotgaelicnames12.html [5] In a Gaelic manuscript written by a Scotsman living in Ireland in 1467, the scribe named himself [A photograph of the "1467 MS", a Gaelic genealogical manuscript, which is shelf-marked 72.1.1 in the Scottish National Library. Colm O'Boyle has kindly helped with our transcriptions from this manuscript.] [6] We found a woman recorded in a Scots document from 1547 as . We're not certain how to interpret this name; the underlying Gaelic name might be with the implied meaning "Maire, granddaughter of Paul". [Black, op. cit., s.n. Macphail]. [7] Black, op. cit., s.n. MacDonald. [8] Campbell of Airds, Alastair, Unicorn Pursuivant of Arms, "A Closer Look at West Highland Heraldry", _The Double Tressure_ (#19). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Addendum, Arval, 27 Jan 2005: Clarified note [2]. Correction, Arval, Apr 2005: Revised the paragraph on and and added note [2a].