ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1587 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1587 ************************************ 8 Mar 1999 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether was used as a man's name in period England. You explained that your ancestor, an English Quaker in 1760, bore the name. This letter is a brief answer to your question. We found no evidence that this name was used in period. We can only guess why your ancestor was christened . There is a man named in the Old Testament, father of Joshua [1]. Starting with the Puritans in the late 16th century, English and American Christian sects have often been particularly fond of Old Testament names, so this may well be the source of your ancestor's name. Only a very few Old Testament names were used by English Christians before the Puritans, specifically those in stories used prominently by the Christian church: David, Jesse, Adam, Eve, Abel, and so on. Most Old Testament names were not used at all until after our period. Another possibility is that the English surname [2] was used as a given name. It became quite fashionable in England to christen boys with family names, particularly in the late 17th and 18th centuries. If you find the family name in the lineage of your ancestor, then that is a likely source for his given name. Unless you want a late 16th century Puritan persona, we cannot recommend as a good name for pre-1600 re-creation. We hope this brief letter has been useful. Please write us again if you have any questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Arynahwy merch Catmael, Talan Gwynek, Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn, Walraven van Nijmegen, and Teceangl Bach. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 8 Mar 1999 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Exodus 33:11, Joshua 1:1, and many other verses. [2] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995), s.n. Nun.