ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1798 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1798 ************************************ 22 Oct 1999 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether or is an appropriate name for a Scottish Highlander around 1350 who is a blacksmith. Here is what we have found. and were both in use in 12th century Scottish Gaelic [1]. or , in various spellings, remained in use throughout your period [2]. We're not sure that the same is true of , so we can't recommend it without reservation. However, we believe "Caerell son of Malcolam" is a reasonable choice for the 14th century. It would have been pronounced \KAR-@l mahk MAL-KOHL-@m\. \KAR\ should have the same vowel as , and \@\ represents a schwa sound, the first sound in . The Gaelic word for blacksmith is , or less often . The latter form was undoubtedly used in Scottish Gaelic [3], and it is not unreasonable to use it as a simple occupational nickname. "Caerell the Smith son of Malcolam" is probably appropriate for your period. was pronounced \GOH-v@\ in your period. is not a good choice for a Scottish Highlander of your period. In the 14th century, Scotland was roughly divided between two main cultures which spoke different languages: Gaelic in the Highlands, and Scots in the Lowlands. The two cultures had very different systems of naming which two didn't mix. is probably a fine Scots name, but it is not Gaelic. Scottish Gaels did not make much use of heraldry in our period. Heraldry was very popular in Lowland culture, but in the Highlands it appears to have been reserved to chieftains and their immediate families [4]. All this doesn't mean you shouldn't use arms in the Society: Many Societyfolk use arms even though their personas would not have done so. Whether you use arms or not depends on how you think about authenticity and your persona. You can find a few thoughts on this issue in an article we've posted on the web: What Do I Use for Arms if my Persona Wouldn't Have Used Arms? http://www.itd.umich.edu/~ximenez/s.gabriel/faq/nonheraldic.html 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. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 22 Oct 1999 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Krossa, Sharon L. (Effric neyn Kenyeoch vc Ralte), "A Simple Guide to Constructing 12th Century Scottish Gaelic Names", (WWW: Privately published, 18 June 1997). http://www.stanford.edu/~skrossa/medievalscotland/scotnames/simplescotgaelicnames12.html [2] Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History_, (New York: The New York Public Library, 1986), s.n. Malcolm. [3] Black s.n. Macgow has 1444, 1473, and 1460. Each of these names represents a patronymic "son of the blacksmith". Black s.n. Gow demonstrates that the occupational byname was used on its own at some point. [4] Campbell of Airds, Alastair, Unicorn Pursuivant of Arms, "A Closer Look at West Highland Heraldry", _The Double Tressure_ (#19).