ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1762
http://www.s-gabriel.org/1762
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* NOTE: Later research turned up additional     *
*       information relevant to this report.    *
*       See the end of the letter for details.  *
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7 Jul 1999
From:  (Josh Mittleman)

Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel!

You asked whether <Francios fil de Etienne du Champagne> is an appropriate
name for a 15th or 16th century Frenchman.  Here is what we have found.

Most of the elements of your name are quite appropriate for your period,
but not as you've combined them.  By your period, most Frenchmen -- and in
particular most members of the upper classes -- used inherited family
names.  Descriptive bynames like "son of Etienne" were used earlier, but
had fallen out of use by your period.  

<Francios> is a mis-spelling of the French name <Franc,ois>.  The comma
represents a cedilla, a hook hanging from the 'c'.  <Franc,ois> is a common
name in modern France, and we have found it used as early as 1487.  In your
period it might also have been spelled <Franchois> [1].

<Etienne> is a common modern French name.  During the 15th century we
find many spellings: <Estienne>, <Estene>, <Estenne> and probably others, 
including <Estevene>.  Any of these versions could have been used from the 
13th century to the end of our period; the modern form <Etienne> is not a 
good choice for [1].

The phrase <du Champagne> is grammatically incorrect.  The name of the
province was a feminine word.  Here are some examples of surnames derived
from that place name [1]:

  J. Champaingne 1340
  J. Champenois 1340
  Drouyn de Champaingne 1404
  Jehan de Chanppaingne 1404
  Bertram Champenoys 1404
  Jehan le Champegnois 1404
  Mahieu le Champenois 1438
  ... de La Champagne 16th century [3]

Forms like <le Champegnois> means "the man from Champagne".  The word
<Champegnois>, which has become <Champenois> in modern French, is analogous
to "New Yorker" or "Texan".  

Before 1400, it was quite common for a man to be identified as his father's
son.  For example, the 1292 Paris census has many examples of names
analogous to <Franchois le fuiz d'Estene> or <Franc,ois fuiz Estienne de
Champaingne> [2].  However, by the 15th and especially the 16th century,
inherited family names were standard.  <Franc,ois Estene> or <Franchois de
La Champagne> would be fine 16th century French names.  <Franc,ois Estienne
de La Champagne> is less likely, but not implausible.


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 Talan Gwynek and Juliana de Luna.

For the Academy,


  Arval Benicoeur
  7 Jul 1999


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References

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

[2] Geraud, Hercule, _Paris sous Philippe-le-bel, d'apres des documents
originaux, et notamment d'apres un manuscrit contenant le role de la taille
imposee sur les habitants de Paris en 1292_ (Paris: Crapelet, 1837).  For
example <Heloynet, fuiz Erchembaut Torin>, p.102, <Estienne, le fuiz
Beneoit le chaucier>, p.88, <Jehanne, fame Jehan de Chaumont>, p.43.

[3] Cateline de la Mor, "Sixteenth Century Norman Names" (SCA: KWHS
Proceedings, 1994; WWW: J. Mittleman, 1997). 
http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/cateline/norman16.html

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Annotation by Aryanhwy, 05 May 2007: Corrected paragraph on <Etienne>,
removing our recommendation for it as a 15th-century form, since Morlet
_Picarde_ does not include any citations for it.