ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1747 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1747 ************************************ 8 Jul 1999 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether or is an appropriate name for a woman from Freiburg, Germany, in the mid-1400s. You also asked us to suggest some sources for examples of arms from this time and place. Here is what we have found. is a fine name for your period. The example you found was recorded in 1381-83, but the name undoubtedly remained in use into the next century [1]. The surname derives from the medieval German word "gorge or ravine in the wood". The man 1319 either lived in a wooded valley or in a place named for such a valley. We found a in 1414 [5]. Other forms of the name are illustrated in these examples [3]: Burkhard gen. von Tobel, 1319 "called 'von Tobel'" Hans Swytzer der Tobellman, 1441 Heinr. am Tobel, 1430 Heinr. Tobel, 1408 Hans Tobler, 1414 In each case, the man is known as "from the Tobel". Two of these examples are masculine in form: and . The latter might have been used by a woman, but it is more likely that she'd have used the feminine equivalent . or , on the other hand, are perfect choices. may be correct, but is more typical for your period. is an abbreviated form of , a surname originally used for a farmer who was a tenant of a monastery or nunnery or occasionally for a monk. We found 1398, 1375 "the closterling", 1331 [3, 4]. is a fine choice for your period. We should point out that the website where you found these two surnames, http://www.worldroots.com/ged/max/, is not a reliable source for medieval names. Although the author has undoubtedly done a great deal of research, he also includes information that is clearly folklore or legend, and he mixed modern spellings & forms of names with the original ones. There is no way to tell which entries are accurate representations of medieval names. The most accessible sources we can recommend for examples of late-period Germany arms are two webpages that you can find in the German section of this index: Medieval Rolls of Arms on the Web & Articles on Medieval Arms http://www.wctc.net/~randomsf/rollofarms.htm The best printed source we can suggest is a modern edition of an armorial published in 1605. It contains thousands of color pictures of arms. Siebmacher, Johann, _Johann Siebmachers Wappenbuch von 1605_, 2 vols., ed. Horst Appuhn (Dortmund: Harenberg, 1988, 1989). This source is of course somewhat later than your period, but it is a good starting point for your research. Another good source is: Bibliothe\que royale Albert Ier, _Gelre_ (Leuven: Jan van Helmont, 1992, ISBN 90-74318-03-7). It contains many examples of German arms from the late 1300s to the early 1400s. We hope this letter has been useful. Please write us again if any part of it has been unclear or if you have other questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Zenobia Naphtali, Walraven van Nijmegen, and Talan Gwynek. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 8 Jul1999 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] The 14th century feminine example, cited in [2], is from the northeast. The name was more commonly masculine. The example 1453 [3], from north of Fulda, demonstrates that the variation of spelling from was reasonable widespread. [2] Talan Gwynek, "Medieval German Given Names from Silesia" (WWW: SCA, Inc., 1998). http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/bahlow_v.htm [3] Brechenmacher, Josef Karlmann, _Etymologisches Worterbuch der deutschen Familiennamen_ (Limburg a. d. Lahn, C. A. Starke-Verlag, 1957-1960), s.nn. Dobler, Dobel, Tobelmann, Kloster, Klostermann, Kirstan. [4] Bahlow, Hans, _Dictionary of German Names_, tr. Edda Gentry (German-American Cultural Society, 1994 ISBN: 0924119357), s.n. Klostermann. [5] Schwarz, Ernst, _Sudetendeutsche Familiennamen aus vorhussitischer Zeit_ (Koeln: Blehlau Verlag, 1957), s.n. Tobler.