ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1732 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1732 ************************************ From: "S Friedemann" 6 Jun 1999 Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You wanted to know if the feminine name was used in Ireland or Scotland between 1500 and 1700. Here is the information we have found. is a modern variant of , which is a feminine derivative of the Latin name . Our first evidence of in the British Isles is from 17th century England, when the practice of taking names from the Bible was in vogue. [1] Many of these names first appear in the late 16th c. [*] Such names were rare, and our records are far from complete, so it is likely that other names of this type also appeared that early even though we have no record of them. Based on this, we believe that could have been used in Scotland at the end of your period. Starting in the late 14th century, there were two main languages spoken in Scotland: Gaelic, spoken in the Highlands, and Scots, spoken in the Lowlands, including the royal court and towns. Gaelic is the same language spoken in Ireland at this time; Scots is closely related to contemporary English. Naming practices in these two languages were quite different. In particular, the 17th and late 16th century English practice of using non-traditional Biblical names does not seem to have been adopted by the Gaelic speakers. Thus, if you wish to use for your name, we suggest that you consider a Scots persona. We hope that this letter has been useful to you, and that you will not hesitate to write again if any part was unclear or if you have further questions. Research and commentary on this letter was provided by Arval Benicoeur, Talan Gwynek, and Walraven van Nijmegen. For the Academy, --Aryanhwy merch Catmael June 6, 1999 --------------------------------------- References & Notes : [1] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988). [2] The Parish Registers of St. Michael, Cornhill, London, Containing the Marriages, Baptisms, and Burials from 1546 to 1754. Partly edited by Joseph Lemuel Chester. The Publications of the Harleian Society: Registers, Vol. VII (London: 1882). [*] Examples of this type include , , , , , , , , , and , feminine, and , , , , , , , and , masculine. [2]