ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1558 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1558 ************************************ ************************************************* * * * NOTE: Later research turned up additional * * information relevant to this report. * * See the end of the letter for details. * * * ************************************************* 21 Apr 1999 From: Jodi McMaster Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel! You asked whether would be an appropriate name for a Frenchwoman living between the years 1400 and 1600. You indicated that you preferred that particular spelling, and would rather move in time and place than change the name. 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. A daughter of Constantine the Great was named , and, apparently due to her sainthood, it became a popular name. We found the name as in 13th century France [4]. We found other forms in England, where the name was introduced with the Norman Conquest and usually anglicized as [1]. Here are the Norman forms, from a little earlier than the period that interests you [2, 3]: Constance, 12th-13th C Custancia, 12th-13th C Custance, 1273, 1379 Constance, 1279 While we didn't find any other spellings in northern France, we believe that it continued in use, most likely in the modern French form but possibly also as . In Southern France of the 13th century, the name appears as [5], and [6]. We believe that these spellings continued in use into your period. We're not sure what meaning you intend for your surname . French surnames with the preposition usually derived originally from a place name. We found no French place called . [ed. but we did in later research]. Therefore, we cannot recommend (or its more likely period spelling, ) as good re-creation for a Frenchwoman of the time period in which you are interested. [7] [See report 2242 for more information on this name] We can suggest some similar-sounding names. The surname is recorded in the 13th-15th centuries in northern France, originally derived from the feminine given name . would be a fine 16th century French name. We also found several French surnames based on places with names that sound similar to : , , 1384, 15th C. [4, 8] Any of these would be fine surnames for your period. We hope this letter has been helpful. Please write us again if any part of it has been unclear or if you have other questions. Arval Benicoeur, Talan Gwynek, Barak Raz, Blaise de Cormeilles, Margaret Makafee, Aryanhwy Prytydes merch Catmael, Walraven van Nijmegen, and Maridonna Benvenuti contributed comments and/or research for this letter. For the Academy, AElfwyn aet Gyrwum April 21, 1999 __________________ References: [1] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988), s.n. Constance. [2] Nicolaa de Bracton, "A Statistical Survey of Given Names in Essex Co., England, 1182-1272", Known World Heraldic Symposium Proceedings 1995 (SCA Inc.), http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/5145/names.html [3] 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/ [4] Morlet, Marie-Therese, _Etude d'anthroponymie picarde, les noms de personne en Haute Picardie aux XIIIe, XIVe, XVe siecles_ (Amiens, Musee de Picardie, 1967), pgs. 332, 389, 453. [5] Ramons lo Montalbes, "French/Occitan Names From The XII And XIII Century" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1997), http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/ramon/occitan/ [6] Chambers, Frank M., _Proper Names in the Lyrics of the Troubadours_ (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1971). [7] However, we did find a 13th century English example, 1242, a man who probably lived or worked at a house or inn called "the Rose" [7]. By the 16th century, the last name would just be . We haven't found examples of this sort of surname in France, though. Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995), s.n. Rose. [8] Morlet, Marie-Therese, _Dictionnaire E/tymologique des Noms de Famille_ (Librairie Acade/mique Perrin, 1997). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Added reference to report 2242, Arval, Mar 2005.