ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1793
http://www.s-gabriel.org/1793
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20 Oct 1999
From:  (Josh Mittleman)


Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel!

You asked our help choosing a feminine first name similar to <Ravenna> that
would be appropriate in combination with the Gaelic household name <nic
Aoidh>.  In particular, you asked about <Reyne>, <Roana>, <Roheisia>, and
<Ravenild>.  Here is what we have found.

You didn't specify what part of the Gaelic world you want your name to fit,
but <nic Aoidh> is a Scottish Gaelic name, so we've assumed that's what
interests you.  

Unfortunately, <nic Aoidh> is a _modern_ Scottish Gaelic name that could
not have existed in Gaelic in our period.  In the modern language,
<NicAoidh> is the feminine form of the family name <MacAoidh> [1].
However, we have found no example of <nic> in period Gaelic.  It appears
that the word originated in Gaelic sometime after 1600 as a contraction of
the phrase <inghean mhic> "daughter of mac".  In modern Gaelic, <Fearghus
MacAoidh> and <Seonaid NicAoidh> are understood to be translations of
<Fergus MacKay> and <Seonaid MacKay>.  Because many modern Scottish family
names are associated with clans, the effect is that the modern Gaelic <Nic
Aoidh> serves to indirectly identify clan membership.

There is no period byname with the same meaning as <Nic Aoidh>.  Scottish
Gaels did not use family names in period or indicate clan membership in
their Gaelic names [2].  Women in this society were almost always known as
their father's daughters.  For example, Raghnailt daughter of Aodh mac
Domhnaill would have been called <Raghnailt inghean Aoidh>.  The word
<inghean>, pronounced \IN-yen\, means "daughter".  We should stress that
this name says nothing about Raghnailt's clan membership: She could be a
member of some clan, but that fact wouldn't have been included in her name
the way it is in modern Scotland [3].

Given that we can't suggest a period way to use <nic Aoidh>, we're not sure
which direction you'd like us to go.  We could research when and where
<Ravenna> was used and help you build a name around it.  Or we could help
you choose an authentic Scottish Gaelic name.  Or we can give you advice on
building a name around one of the given names you asked about.  Those names
are all fine choices, but they are English names, not Gaelic.  <Reyne>, 
<Roana>, and <Roheisia> are Middle English forms of French names;
<Ravenild> is a Middle English form of an Old Norse name.  All are recorded
in English in the late 12th or 13th century [4].  


We hope this letter has been useful.  Please write us again if any part of
it has been unclear or if you'd like us to discuss one of the options we
described above.  I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by
Talan Gwynek, Tangywstyl verch Morgant Glasvryn, Effrick neyn Kenneoch, and
Aryanhwy merch Catmael.

For the Academy,


  Arval Benicoeur
  20 Oct 1999


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References

[1] Calder, George, <u>A Gaelic Grammar; containing parts of speech and the
general principles of phonology and etymology with a chapter on proper and
place names</u> (Glasgow: 1923; reprinted Glasgow: Gairm Publications,
1980, 1990).

[2] Some clan chieftains used titles that resemble modern clan membership
surnames.  Their daughters were sometimes known by patronymics based on
these titles, along the lines of <inghean mhic Aoidh> "daughter of [the]
Mac Aoidh".

[3] For more information about Scottish names, we recommend these articles
on our website:

  Scottish Names 101
  http://www.stanford.edu/~skrossa/medievalscotland/scotnames/scotnames101.html

  Quick and Easy Gaelic Bynames
  http://www.stanford.edu/~skrossa/medievalscotland/scotnames/quickgaelicbynames/

  A Simple Guide to Constructing 12th Century Scottish Gaelic Names
  http://www.stanford.edu/~skrossa/medievalscotland/scotnames/simplescotgaelicnames12.html

[4] Talan Gwynek, "Feminine Given Names in _A Dictionary of English
Surnames_" (SCA: KWHS Proceedings, 1994; WWW: J. Mittleman, 1997). 
http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/talan/reaney/