ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1530 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1530 ************************************ 16 Mar 1999 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether could have been used as a man's surname in period German. This is a brief answer to your question. We have noticed that your question has also been discussed on the SCA Heralds' mailing list, and two of our members have informed us that you have also received assistance from the An Tir College of Heralds. Therefore, if your goal is to help your friend register this name, you're already talking to the right people. The Academy advises people on choosing names that are historically appropriate for the cultures they want to re-create. You didn't give us much information about your friend's persona, so we can only give you general information about the name and when it might have been used. We're assuming that your friend wants to use the word exactly, with nothing more than minor changes in spelling or pronunciation. We didn't find a period example of as a surname. We found a few similarly-constructed German names that might be the basis for an argument that could have been used. In the following list, the first form of each name is the modern spelling. This is followed by period examples. Schweinauge "pig-eye" 1255 1594 Schweinsohr "pig-ear" 1326 Lo"wenkopf "lion head" or 1413. The last example probably originated from a place name, a hill called , rather than from a descriptive nickname. There are other places in Germany called "pig's head" and "roebuck's head", names that appear in the 17th century [1, 2]. We also found a modern surname "pig's head". It may also derive from a place name, , or it may have been a descriptive nickname. The only period example is a German translation of a foreign name, so we can't say if it was used in period Germany [1]. We think that it is perfectly reasonable to believe that a hill in Germany could have been called . A person who lived near it could of course have been named after it. It is also possible that could have been used as a descriptive nickname, but we've found less evidence to support that speculation. Judging from the examples we found, this particular spelling is most likely in the 16th century. Around 1400, it might have been . We hope this brief 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 Blaise de Cormeilles, Zenobia Naphtali, Teceangl Bach, Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn, Walraven van Nijmegen, Maridonna di Benvenuti, Talorgen nei Wrguist, and Talan Gwynek. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 16 Mar 1999 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Brechenmacher, Josef Karlmann, _Etymologisches Worterbuch der deutschen Familiennamen_ (Limburg a. d. Lahn, C. A. Starke-Verlag, 1957-1960), s.nn. Schweinauge, Schweinsohr, Lo"wenkopf, Schweinskopf, Rehkopf, Schweinshaupt. [2] Schwarz, Ernst, _Deutsche Namenforschung II (Orts- und Flurnamen)_ (Go"ttingen: Vandenhouck & Ruprecht, 1950), p.270.