ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1368 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1368 ************************************ 4 Nov 1998 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked for information about the Celtic name . This letter is a brief answer to your question. There is no language or culture called "Celtic". The word is a modern term used by historians and linguists to refer to a family of languages and the cultures that spoke them, including Welsh, Cornish, Breton, Manx, and Gaelic. In period, the various Celtic cultures were distinct, and the languages they spoke were quite different. In particular, each culture formed names differently and their styles of naming changed significantly over the centuries of our period. Without knowing when or at least where you want to set your persona, we can't give you much help. We did not find as a period name. We found two names that might be pronounced like . The first is , recorded in England in 1202, probably a pet name for any of several Welsh woman's names beginning with . The full name might have been , , , , , , or some other compound. was pronounced \CANE-a\. The second name is \KEE@-n@\ (1180) or (1271) \KIN-a\, which is probably an Old English pet name formed from some name beginning with , such as [1, 2, 3]. In the pronunciation, \@\ represents a schwa, the last sound in . We should stress that this second name is not Celtic in any sense: Old English is a Germanic language. If you are interested in a period Irish, Welsh, or Scottish name, you can find information on period name formation and lists of period names on the web at: Medieval Name Lists http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/ I hope this brief letter has been useful. Please write us again if you have any questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Aryanhwy merch Catmael and Talan Gwynek. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 4 Nov 1998 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Talan Gwynek, "Feminine Given Names in _A Dictionary of English Surnames_" (SCA: KWHS Proceedings, 1994; WWW: J. Mittleman, 1997). http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/talan/reaney/ [2] Jones, Heather Rose (aka Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn), "A Welsh Miscellany", _Compleat Anachronist_ #66 (Milpitas, CA: SCA, Inc.). [3] Bartrum, P.C., _Early Welsh Genealogical Tracts_ (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1966).