ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1596 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1596 ************************************ 17 Mar 1999 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether , , and could have been used as men's names in medieval Ireland or Wales. This letter is a brief answer to your question. All these names are Welsh. Welsh and Irish are distinct languages, with incompatible systems of spelling and different naming practices. A name from one language cannot be transferred to the other, and words from the two languages cannot be mixed together in a single name. To be historically correct, a name can be Irish or Welsh, but not both. appears in Welsh legend as the name of the king of Underworld. We know of no example of a real person using this name. It may sometimes have been equated with the biblical , which was occasionally used in Wales, but there is no real connection between the two names. However, it sounds similar enough that we thought it might interest you. Some period Welsh examples of are 1292 and 1352 [1]. and are modern, standardized spellings of names that appear in a variety of forms in period. is recorded as in 10th century sources. appears in the same period as [2]. The names are pronounced \ARTH-vail\ and \BREE-@-vail\. \@\ is a schwa sound, like the in . Both of them seem to have dropped out of use by the end of the 11th century. If you want a Welsh persona around the 10th century, and would be a good choice. If you want a later Welsh persona, or would be a fine choice. If you want an Irish persona, then none of these names would be appropriate. You've already read our most convenient source on early Welsh names [2]. For information on medieval and late-period Welsh names, we recommend these articles: A Simple Guide to Constructing 13th Century Welsh Names http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/tangwystyl/welsh13.html A Simple Guide to Constructing 16th Century Welsh Names (in English Contexts) http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/tangwystyl/welsh16.html If you want an Irish name, then we recommend the following articles: 100 Most Popular Men's Names in Early Medieval Ireland http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/tangwystyl/irish100 Quick and Easy Gaelic Bynames http://www.stanford.edu/~skrossa/medievalscotland/scotnames/quickgaelicbynames/ 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 Talan Gwynek and Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 17 Mar 1999 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Morgan, T.J. and Prys Morgan, _Welsh Surnames_ (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1985). [2] Jones, Heather Rose (aka Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn), "The First Thousand Years of British Names", (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1998). http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/tangwystyl/british1000/