ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1369 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1369 ************************************ ************************************************* * * * NOTE: Later research turned up additional * * information relevant to this report. * * See the end of the letter for details. * * * ************************************************* 24 Nov 1998 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked for help choosing a late 15th or early 16th century name for a Scottish Lowland woman, with as your first name and , , or as your last name. Here is what we have found. As you know, Scotland in your period was home to two different cultures, each with its own language and naming system: Gaelic speakers in the Highlands and Scots speakers in the Lowlands. Scots was quite similar to contemporary English, and Scots names were similar to English names, though there were some important differences in naming customs. is a reasonable spelling of a woman's name that we have found as and in early 16th century Aberdeen [1]. This name is probably a form of the English , which was used both by men and women in period [2]. That name, used by women, is recorded in Scotland as in 1536 and as in 1563 [3]. Other Scots spellings found between 1521 and 1549 are , , , , and [4]. Most of the last set of examples are men's names, but some are probably women. In all its spellings, the name was pronounced with two syllables, roughly \JELL-iss\ or \GELL-iss\ (with a hard \G\). We aren't sure whether the first letter was pronounced \J\ or \G\; based on contemporary English usage, we lean toward the \J\ [5]. It would be slightly more authentic for you to use one of the spellings of the name which is documented for women in Scotland -- , , or -- but your spelling is clearly within the range of plausible spelling variations. is a modern Scottish Gaelic name, but it did not exist in your period [6]. We have found no example of this spelling before the 19th century [6a]. We recommend you avoid this surname. The surname is recorded in the name in Culross in 1582. The surname appears in many spellings in your period [7]: Bruse 1446 Brwss 1490 Broyse 1450 Brose 1504 Broise 1456 Brouss 1506 Broys 1461 Broyss 1506 Brois 1481 Bruis 1511 Bruss 1488 Broce 1526 Broiss 1490 Brouyss 1588 Any of these surnames would be perfect for your persona: or , for example. We 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 24 Nov 1998 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Effric neyn Kenyeoch vc Ralte, "Early 16th Century Scottish Town Women's Names" (WWW: Academy of Saint Gabriel, 1996). http://www.stanford.edu/~skrossa/medievalscotland/acr_1501_womens_names.html [2] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988), s.n. Giles. [3] Clouston, J. Storer, ed., _Records of the Earldom of Orkney 1299-1614_ (Edinburgh: Scottish Historical Society, 1914). [4] The manuscript Aberdeen Council Registers, Volumes 8 - 20 (1501-1551), in the Aberdeen City Archives. [5] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995), s.n. Gillet. [6] Dunkling, Leslie and William Gosling, _The New American Dictionary of First Names_ (New York: Signet Books, 1983), s.n. Iain. [6a] 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 [7] Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History_, (New York: The New York Public Library, 1986), s.nn. Fergus, Bruce. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Correction, Arval, Apr 2005: Revised the paragraph on and added note [6a].