ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1350 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1350 ************************************ 20 Nov 1998 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! In reviewing your question about your name, we have realised that we don't clearly understand exactly what your priorities are in choosing your name. We'd like to give you some information and ask a few questions. The more you can tell us in return, we better we'll be able to fit our research to your interests. Your period and the subsequent centuries of Scottish history were a complicated time. In the 13th century, Scotland was inhabited by people who spoke Gaelic, English or Scots, Old Norse, and Norman French. Gaelic was the same language spoken in Ireland, and Scots was a close relative of contemporary English. The linguistic mix varied from region to region, and changed over time. By 1400 or so, the predominant languages were Gaelic, spoken in the Highlands, and Scots, spoken in the Lowlands and towns. Names were formed quite differently in these various languages at various times, so the culture you choose will determine how your name should be constructed. Or, conversely, the name you chose may determine when and where you could accurately place your persona. Because there are so many possibilities, we'd like to give you some information now, ask you to pin-point your interests, and then write a more detailed letter focussed on that choice. In order to choose an authentic Scottish name, the first step is to ignore modern Scottish naming practices altogether. Medieval Scottish names were very different from modern Scottish names. For example, the modern practice of using surnames to indicate clan membership didn't exist in period. There were clans in Scottish Gaelic culture -- though not in any of the other period Scottish cultures -- but people didn't include clan membership in their names. Medieval Scottish women did not adopt their husbands' names when they married. In Gaelic culture, for example, men and women were almost always known as their fathers' children, before and after marriage. Other types of surname were used in other languages, at various times in history, but marital names are a post-period innovation in Scotland. You can find some more general information on Scottish names in an article on the web: Scottish Names 101 http://www.stanford.edu/~skrossa/medievalscotland/scotnames/scotnames101.html is an English or Scots name, a pet form of . We haven't found an example of this form as early as 1295, and based on the development of other, similar pet forms in English and Scots, we think that this particular spelling is unlikely until the 16th century [1]. We did find in 1400 in Scots, and the similar and in England, 1273 [2, 3]. If you want to use this name for a 13th century English-speaking persona, we recommend you choose one of these spellings. If you want a 16th century, Scots-speaking persona, is probably a fine choice. There are forms of in most of the period Scottish cultures; we'll give you the details once we know more about your persona. is a Scots spelling of a Gaelic masculine patronymic (surname that identified someone as his father's son). We're not entirely sure what Gaelic name it represents; our best guess is "son of Toirrdhealbhaich". is the ancestor of the modern name ; it's pronunciation varied over the centuries, but the initial in the surname is pronounced \h\, which is lost after the \k\ sound of . The surname is recorded in Scots documents as 1577, , , , , and , all in 1684 [4]. In Gaelic, a name like would only have been used by a man; -surnames were used literally to identify a man as his father's son. They were not used by women. There are equivalent women's forms; if you want a Gaelic name, we'll give you the details. In Scots, in the late 15th and 16th century, some -surnames were adopted as inherited surnames. A woman in this period might have used one -- is an entirely reasonable late 16th century Lowland name for a woman whose father was named something like . However, this name is not possible for the 13th century. Beyond this point, we need some guidance from you. What sort of name is authentic for you depends on when and where you want to set your persona. We can help you with any of the possibilities, but they are too complicated to discuss all of them in one letter. * If you want to be a Frenchwoman who moved to Scotland, then you should pick a French name (your original name) and then make a guess at how that name might have been used in Scotland. You can find lists of French names on the web, at http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/romance.html You mentioned that you wanted to set your persona in 1295 because of the alliance between France and Scotland. You may be interested to know that France and Scotland had a series of alliances from that date through the end of our period [5]. * If you want to be a Gael, then you should choose a Gaelic given name for yourself and one for your father, and put them together to call yourself your father's daughter. You can find information about Gaelic names, including lists of Gaelic women's names, on the web: Quick and Easy Gaelic Bynames http://www.stanford.edu/~skrossa/medievalscotland/scotnames/quickgaelicbynames/ Other articles on Gaelic names can be found at: http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/celtic.html * If you want to be an English- or Scots-speaking Scotswoman, or a Scoto-Norman (descendent of a Norman settler in Scotland), you'll want a name appropriate to your culture. Let us know which direction you want to go and which elements of your name and persona are most important to you, and we'll fill in the details. The more information you can give us, the more we'll be able to help you. We hope this letter has been useful. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Aelfwyn aet Gyrwum, Maridonna Benvenuti, Talan Gwynek, Effrick neyn Kenyoch, Nencia di Bartolo Damiani, and Brad Miller. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 20 Nov 1998 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History_, (New York: The New York Public Library, 1986). The problem is the <-ie> ending. , , and are recorded in 15th century Scots, but doesn't appear until 1527. (a nickname for ) is found in 1467, in 1585; in 1296, in 1569. We found only one pre-1600 instance of the <-ie> spelling, 1457. These examples were found s.nn. Wylie, Chrystal, Roveson, Hird, Quintance, Lowrie, Christie, Malmure, and Spendlove. [2] Black, op. cit., s.n. Ralph. [3] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988), s.n. Margaret. [4] Black, op. cit., s.n. Mackerley. [5] Britannica On-line [Accessed 06 November 1998] "United Kingdom: SCOTLAND: History: THE WARS OF INDEPENDENCE" http://www.eb.com:180/cgi-bin/g?DocF=macro/5006/45/199.html> "United Kingdom: SCOTLAND: History: SCOTLAND IN THE 16TH AND EARLY 17TH CENTURIES" http://www.eb.com:180/cgi-bin/g?DocF=macro/5006/45/201.html "Albany, John Stewart, 2nd duke of" http://www.eb.com:180/cgi-bin/g?DocF=micro/12/23.html "Edward" http://www.eb.com:180/cgi-bin/g?DocF=micro/186/51.html