ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1372 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1372 ************************************ ************************************************* * * * NOTE: Later research turned up additional * * information relevant to this report. * * See the end of the letter for details. * * * ************************************************* 2 Jan 1999 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked for our assistance in documenting the name , for a Highland Scot persona in the period 1150-1400. In your letter you said that your father would be a Scots man named and your mother an Irish woman named . Also, you were interested in including a reference to clan . Here is what we found. Before I start, I'd like to clarify the service that the Academy offers. We try to help Societyfolk in choosing and using names that fit the historical cultures they are trying to re-create. Our research can sometimes be used to support submissions to the College of Arms, but that it not our goal and our results are often incompatible with the College's needs. If your main goal is to register a particular name, then we may not be able to help you. In your period, there were many languages spoken in Scotland. Early on there was Norse, spoken in the far north and the western isles, English, spoken mainly in the southeast, Gaelic, spoken through much of the country, and Norman French, spoken by Norman settlers and their Scoto-Norman descendants, mostly in the south. By the end of your period this confusing situation had resolved down to 2 main languages: 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. The culture in which you lived will determine how your name should be constructed. -- or more typically -- was probably used occasionally in early medieval Ireland. It was pronounced \MEER-yeen~\, where the \n~\ is like the Spanish in , where the tilde <~> goes over the . We would like to stress that the pronunciations \MURR-gen\ or \MEER-gen\ would be incorrect. If it remained in use in your period, the spelling would have changed slightly through your period, from before 1200 to after it, with no change to the pronunciation. A better choice is , a name that was very common in early medieval Ireland. It was pronounced roughly \MEER-yen\ [1]. Your mother's name , pronounced \MAR-ait\, became quite popular in Ireland in the 14th century, making the later spelling of your name more appropriate if you want your name to fit the period when was used. Unfortunately, we have no evidence that any form of was used in Scotland. While Irish and Scottish Gaelic were the same language, their naming customs were slightly different and the set of names they used was, too. This is not to say that the name wasn't used; we just cannot say for sure that it was. We did find a similar Latinized name in 1284, which we believe is from the Gaelic . This name is pronounced \MYR-y@l\, where \Y\ is the German u-umlaut of and \@\ is the sound of in or [2]. is a Gaelic adaptation, possibly modern, of the Scots surname [3]. The surname was originally derived from a place in Moray. is recorded in 1311, in 1376, and in 1386 [2]. If you want a Scots name, then the surname or would be quite appropriate. However, please note that this name was only a surname in our period. We have no evidence that a Gaelic form of this name existed in period. is another Scots surname originally based on a place name. We found and other similar examples in the mid-12th century. Note that it was also only used as a surname in your period, and only in Scots [2]. While many people in Scotland took pride in their ancestry, the clan structure that we are familiar with today is a modern phenomenon. Clans existed in Gaelic-speaking, Highland culture, but they were very different from modern clans. Many of today's clans are known by surnames of Scots origin, but Lowland (Scots speaking) families were not clans in our period. So, in your period there was not yet, nor would there be for a long time, a Brothie or Gordon clan. For the purposes of choosing your name, the existance of the clan is actually moot: Even in Gaelic, clan membership was not indicated in personal names until long after our period. The custom of associating surnames with clans, so that one's clan can be inferred from one's name, is a modern development. Gaelic women were almost always known as their father's daughters. You have already used the word for 'daughter' that was analogous to the word meaning 'son'. This word, pronounced \IN-yen\, was usually written at the beginning of your period. After about 1200 it came increasingly to be written . For example, around 1400 if your name was and your father's name was , then you might have been known as pronounced \MYR-y@l IN-yen OAN~\. Your name would not have been constructed from your father's surname, but from his Gaelic given name. Even if he were originally a Scots speaker named , if you lived in a Gaelic-speaking region, you would have been known by a Gaelic name. Since is the Scottish Gaelic equivalent of , you'd be called . As you can see, there are a lot of possibilities. In order to choose a historically appropriate name, you need to choose one of the cultures of Ireland and Scotland. If you choose to live in a Gaelic-speaking region, then a name like would be a perfect choice. is probably a good choice, too, though we are not sure that was used in Scotland in your period. Because of the scarcity of sources, we only have a short list of women's names that we are confident were used in Scottish Gaelic in period. You can find that list on-line: Some Scottish Gaelic Feminine Names http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/arval/scotgaelfem/ If you'd like to choose a Gaelic name for your father to finish your Gaelic name, you can find a list of possibilities at: 100 Most Popular Men's Names in Early Medieval Ireland http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/tangwystyl/irish100/ This list was compiled from Irish sources, but most of the names were also used in Scottish Gaelic. Check with us if you want to verify that a particular name is appropriate in Scotland. For some general information about medieval Scottish names, you may want to read: A Simple Guide to Constructing 12th Century Scottish Gaelic Names http://www.stanford.edu/~skrossa/medievalscotland/scotnames/simplescotgaelicnames12.html If you want to use the surname , then you should consider a Scots name rather than Gaelic. We have a list of women's given names used in 16th century Scots: Early 16th Century Scottish Town Women's Names http://www.stanford.edu/~skrossa/medievalscotland/scotnames/scottownwomen16.html These names are somewhat later than your period, but most of them are appropriate for your period, too. I hope this letter has been useful. Please write to us again if any part of the letter has been unclear or if you have other questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Aryanhwy merch Catmael, Talan Gwynek, and Arval Benicoeur. For the Academy, Giles Leabrook 2 Jan 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------ References [1] O/ Corra/in, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire, _Irish Names_ (Dublin: The Lilliput Press, 1990), s.nn. Murienn, Muirgen. They mention an early abbot and say "As a female name, its most famous bearer is the half-pagan, half-christian Muirgen, also known as Li/ Ban... According to story, she lived for three hundred years in the waters of Lough Neagh..." This mermaid is not evidence that the name was used by real people; but the phrase "its most famous bearer" implies that the authors found other examples of the name. [2] Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History_, (New York: The New York Public Library, 1986). s.nn. Brodie, Gordon and Muriel. [3] Dwelly, Edward, _Faclair gaidhlig: A Gaelic Dictionary_ (Herne Bay [Eng.] E. Macdonald & co., 1902-[11]). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Correction, 3 Jan 2003, Arval: Re-wrote the paragraph on to eliminate the endorsement of it as a late-period name. Our only evidence of it is indirect in [1], and probably early medieval.