ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1708 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1708 ************************************ From: "Brian M. Scott" 20 Apr 1999 Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel! You asked about the frequency of the name (in any spelling) during the 16th century, particularly during the reign of Elizabeth I. You also asked whether it was a name that would have been given to a Protestant female child. The name occurs in England (as ) as early as the 12th century and continued in use throughout the Middle Ages, but it wasn't until after the English Reformation in the 16th century that it became popular. [1, 2] With the Reformation, however, its popularity rose very rapidly. In a tabulation compiled from the baptismal registers of 40 English parishes the name was not among the 50 most frequent girl's names in the period 1538-49. [3] In the next decade (1550-59) it was tied with 15 other names for ranks 36-51, and in the 1560s it was tied with four other names for ranks 38-42. Then it moved into the top 20 girl's names for the rest of the century, ranking 16th in the 1570s, 15th in the 1580s, 14th in the 1590s, and 15th in the decade 1600-09. [4, 5] The 40 parishes on whose records the foregoing figures are based were chosen from all over England, but none of them is in London. [6] If anything the name may have been even more popular in London: for the period 1538-1600 taken as a whole, and were tied for the 7th and 8th ranks in popularity among the girl's names recorded in the combined baptismal registers of two parishes in the City of London. [7, 8] Clearly enjoyed substantial popularity during Elizabeth's reign and especially during its last three decades. By that time the usual medieval spelling, , had been almost completely displaced by and ; we found only one 16th century instance of , in 1593. [9] seems to have been much more common than : there are 36 occurrences of in the London baptismal records that we studied to only two of . We also found isolated examples of 1591 and 1573. [10] It is clear from its considerable popularity that the name was used within the established church (Church of England). The Puritans, with their pronounced taste for Old Testament names, also found it suitable. For example , born in 1595, had a sister and brothers and ; clearly the family had strongly Puritan views. [11] I hope that I've answered your questions satisfactorily. If anything is unclear, please don't hesitate to write us again. For the Academy, Brian M. Scott 17 April 1999 ===== References and Notes: [1] Reaney, P.H., & R.M. Wilson. A Dictionary of English Surnames (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995); s.n. Sara. [2] Withycombe, E.G. The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names. 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988); s.n. Sara. [3] The earliest English parish registers date from 1538. [4] Smith-Bannister, Scott. Names and Naming Patterns in England 1538-1700 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1997); Appendix C. [5] To round out the picture, here are its rankings for the rest of the 17th century: 13th (1610-19), 12th (1620-29), 7th (1630-49), 6th (1650-59), and 4th (1660-1700). [6] Smith-Bannister, op. cit., p. 135. n. 1. [7] Brooke, J.M.S., and A.W.C. Hallen, A. W. C. The Transcript of the Registers of the United Parishes of S. Mary Woolnoth and S. Mary Woolchurch Haw, in the City of London, from their Commencement 1538 to 1760 (London: Bowles & Sons, 1886). [8] A little more detail may make this ranking more meaningful. The most popular name in these two parishes in this period was , which accounts for 14.9% of the girls baptized. Next were at 11.2% and (including ) at 10.7%. After this 'big three' there is a substantial drop-off to at 5.7%, followed by , , , , and , each accounting for between 4 and 5 percent of the girls baptized. No other name accounts for as much as 3%. [9] Bardsley, Charles Wareing. Curiosities of Puritan Nomenclature (Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1970 [1897]); p. 100, fn. [10] Bardsley, Charles W. A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1980); s.nn. Lyde, Yarrow. [11] Bardsley, Curiosities, p. 45.