ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1693
http://www.s-gabriel.org/1693
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From: Cardinal Ximenez 
14 Jun 1999

Greetings,

Here's the information we found on <Thorgrim> and <Haakon>, which you
wanted to use as an Old Norse name from between 700 and 1050; and
<Orson>, which your friend wanted to use as a name from between 1100
and 1400.

<Thorgrim> and <Haakon> are forms of names that were fairly common in
Old Norse. [1] The standard forms are <{TH}orgri/mr> and <Ha/kon> (the
{TH} represents the Norse letter "thorn."  The slash represents an
accent, so <a/> is an accented <a>). Between 700 and 1050, the correct
grammar for a name that means "Thorgrim, son of Haakon" is
<{TH}orgrimr Ha/konarson> (pronounced roughly \THOR-greem
HAW-kohn-ar-sohn\) The form you used in your signature, <Thorgrim
Haakonson>, would be appropriate for the period after 1350. [2]

We didn't find a historical person named <Orson>, but we think that it
is appropriate for France from about 1000-1400.  We found the name
<Ours>, which is a French form of the Latin name <Ursus>. [3] <Orson>
is almost certainly a diminuitive form of <Ours>. [4]  There is a 
character in medieval romances who is called <Ours>, <Orson>, and
<Ourson> in various sources; [5] this suggests that <Orson> and <Ours>
were considered equivalent.  We also found <Orson> used as a last
name, probably meaning "Orson's son."  This is further indirect
evidence that <Orson> was used as a given name.

Thus, even though we didn't find any examples of <Orson> in period
French, we found a good deal of evidence to show that it was a period
French name.

Lindorm Eriksson, Walraven van Nijmegen, Aryanhwy verch Catmael, Talan
Gwynek, Arval Benicoeur, and Hartmann Rogge all contributed to this
letter.

In service,
Alan Fairfax
Academy of S. Gabriel

[1] Fleck, G. (aka Geirr Bassi Haraldsson), _The Old Norse Name_,
Studia Marklandica (series) (Olney, Maryland: Yggsalr Press, 1977). 

[2] Lind, E.H., _Norsk-Isla:ndska Dopnamn ock Fingerade Namn fra*n
Medeltiden_ (Uppsala & Leipzig: 1905-1915, sup. Oslo, Uppsala and
Kobenhavn: 1931). 

[3] Morlet, Marie-Therese, _Les Noms de Personne sur le Territoire de
l'Ancienne Gaule du VIe au XIIe Siecle_, three volumes (Paris: Centre
National de la Recherche Scientifique, 1972). 

[4] A diminuitive is a pet-name, such as <Jimmy> for <Jim>.  The
ending <-on> was used as a diminutive in French, so <Ors> could
reasonably be expected to form <Orson>.  Note that <Orson> does not
mean "son of Or."

[5] Langlois, Ernest, _Table des Noms Propres de toute nature compris
dans les Chansons de Geste_ (New York: Burt Franklin, 1971 [1904]).

[6] Morlet, Marie-Therese, _Etude d'anthroponymie picarde, les noms de
personne en Haute Picardie aux XIIIe, XIVe, XVe siecles_ (Amiens,
Musee de Picardie, 1967).