ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1900 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1900 ************************************ From: "Sara L Friedemann" 2 Jan 2000 Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You wanted to know if or is an authentic 16th century Scottish feminine name. Here is the information we have found. 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 was the same language spoken in Ireland at this time; Scots was closely related to contemporary English. Names were formed quite differently in the two languages, and the two styles of naming did not mix. Therefore, the culture you choose for your persona will determine how your name should be constructed. The elements of your name are Scots, not Gaelic, so we will discuss them in that light; as it is, your name is perfect for your period. is the Latin form of the name, found as early as 1411. Because most documents were written in Latin, while English or Scots was the spoken language, it is most likely that was purely a documentary form. [5] Other English and Scots spellings that we found are 1533, 1544, 1548, and 1509, 1590. [1] Either or is a fine choice for your name. We were unable to find your surname or in any of our sources. However, we did find similar surnames that would be appropriate for your period. The first is , which derives from the Old English , and is first recorded in the 11th century. We found the spellings and in 1602. [2,3] The other surname we found is , which is the name of a town in the Shetlands. We find 1510 and 1546. [4] Either of these surnames would be appropriate for your period. 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 Adelaide de Beaumont, Affrica filia Kennoci, Amant le Marinier, Talan Gwynek, and Arval Benicoeur. For the Academy, ~Aryanhwy merch Catmael January 2, 2000 --------------------------------------- References: [1] Talan Gwynek, "A List of Feminine Personal Names found in Scottish Records" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1996) [URL:http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/talan/scottishfem/]. [2] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995). s.n. Quenell [3] Bardsley, Charles, _A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames_ (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1980). s.n. Quennell, Quinnell [4] Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History_, (New York: The New York Public Library, 1986). s.n. Quendale [5] Krossa, Sharon L. (Effric neyn Kenyeoch vc Ralte), "Early 16th Century Scottish Town Women's Names" (WWW: Privately pubished, 26 Oct 1996). http://www.stanford.edu/~skrossa/medievalscotland/scotnames/scottownwomen16. html