ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1901 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1901 ************************************ From: "Sara L Friedemann" 25 Dec 1999 Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You wanted to know if would have been used by a Scottish man living in the Tudor/Elizabeth era. Here is a brief letter with 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. We found a number of forms of recorded in Scots in later period [1,2]: Gavin (1477, 1577) Gavann (1501) Gavane (1502) Gavine (1519) Gavinn (1520, 1521) Gawane (1521, 1576) Gawan (c.1550) Any of these spellings would be reasonable for your period. is a Scots variant of the English surname ; we find it used in Scotland as early as 1429. Other spellings that we have found are c. 1370-88, 1423, 1522, 1500, 1504, 1509, 1507, and 1540. [1,3] These are all pronounced the same way, like English , but with a on the end, and are fine choices 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 Maridonna Benvenuti, Effric neyn Kennyeoch, Talan Gwynek, and Arval Benicoeur. For the Academy, ~Aryanhwy merch Catmael December 25, 1999 --------------------------------------- References: [1] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995). s.n. Steward [2] Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History_, (New York: The New York Public Library, 1986). s.nn. Auchtercraw, Goudie, Hourie, Langland, Rais, Rait [3] --, The manuscript Aberdeen Council Registers, Volumes 7- 20 (1501-1551), in the Aberdeen City Archives.