ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1477 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1477 ************************************ 18 Feb 1999 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked for help choosing a Swiss-German name appropriate for a man from Bern between 1400 and 1550, with a surname related to . Here is what we have found. We don't have a convenient list of names from this part of Europe. There are some lists of German men's names available on our medieval names website: http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/ If you find some names that interest you, we can check whether they are appropriate for 15th and 16th century Bern. You can also read histories of Switzerland and the nearby parts of Germany for possible names, and check back with us to verify your choices. We can recommend a couple dictionaries of German names that you may find useful. These are all dictionaries of surnames, but since many surnames are based on first names, you could find both parts of your name in them. Bahlow, Hans, _Dictionary of German Names_, tr. Edda Gentry (German-American Cultural Society, 1994 ISBN: 0924119357). The same author has written several books in German; this is the only one that has been translated, as far as we know. Bahlow, Hans, _Deutsches Namenlexikon : Familien- und Vornamen nach Ursprung und Sinn erklaert_ (Frankfurt am Main : Suhrkamp Taschenbuch Verlag, 1985, 1990). Bahlow, Hans, _Mittelhochdeutsches Namenbuch nach schlesischen Quellen_ (Neustadt (an der Aisch): Degener, 1975). Other books that may help you include: Socin, Adolf, _Mittelhochdeutsches Namenbuch. Nach oberrheinischen Quellen des 12. und 13. Jahrhunderts_ (Basel: Helbing & Lichtenhahn, 1903; Hildesheim: Georg Olms Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1966). Brechenmacher, Josef Karlmann, _Etymologisches Worterbuch der deutschen Familiennamen_ (Limburg a. d. Lahn, C. A. Starke-Verlag, 1957-1960). All these books contains period examples of most names, with dates and locations where they were recorded. If you have any problems interpreting the data, we'll be happy to help. 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 and Aryanhwy merch Catmael. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 18 Feb 1999