ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1653
http://www.s-gabriel.org/1653
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2 Apr 1999
From:  (Josh Mittleman)


Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel!

You asked for information about a feminine form of <Aidan> and whether it
would have been used in Ireland between 1400 and 1550.  This letter is a
brief answer to your question.

<Aidan> is a modern English spelling of the Gaelic name that was spelled
<A/eda/n> in Gaelic before 1200 or so, <Aodha/n> later.  (The slash
represents an acute accent on the preceding letter.)  <Aidan> is not a
possible spelling in period Gaelic.  We've found examples of <A/eda/n> in
Ireland and Scotland before the year 1000, but not later.

The early medieval Gaelic feminine form of the name is <A/ednat>, which was
the name of an early Irish saint.  Unfortunately, we have no evidence that
this name was used in your period, either.  Both masculine and feminine
names were revived in the 19th and 20th century, but we cannot recommend
either as good re-creation of Irish naming in your period.

This information was taken from an article we recently published about the
name <Aidan> and its variants.  You can find it on the web:

  Concerning the Names Aidan, Ae/dha/n, Aodh, and the Like
    http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/problemnames/aidan.html

If you'd like to consider other names suitable for your persona, please let
us know what sort of name would interest you (e.g. what first letter or
sound) and we'll be happy to send you a list of possibilities.


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
  2 Apr 1999