ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1301 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1301 ************************************ 30 Nov 1998 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked about the historical background of your modern name . Here is the information we have found. was originally surname based on the town of Kendal in Westmorland. Kendal was originally called , which we found as 1090-97, c.1240. The word originally meant 'the valley of the R. Kent' [2]. We couldn't pin-point when this surname started to be used as a given name. The fashion of naming boys with family names first arose in English very late in our period, but it first became popular in the late 17th century. We could not trace the origin of . It may be a Scandinavian surname, also based on a place name: The element <-dal> means "valley" in several Scandinavian languages. 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 Lindorm Eriksson, Talan Gwynek, Aryanhwy merch Catmael, and Margaret Makafee. For the Academy, Fergus Stout and Arval Benicoeur 30 Nov 1998 ---------------- References: [1] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995), s.n. Kensal. [2] Ekwall, Eilert, _The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names_, 4th edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991), s.n. Kendal.