ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1910 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1910 ************************************ ************************************************* * * * NOTE: Later research turned up additional * * information relevant to this report. * * See the end of the letter for details. * * * ************************************************* From: "Braddon Giles" 17 Jan 2000 Greetings from the Academy of St. Gabriel! You wrote to us on behalf of your boyfriend, asking for information about the name . You suggested this as a name for an Englishman from the 16th century, specifically from Bristol around 1580. You also wanted to know whether it was important that someone named had red hair and whether a man would have been known by his surname alone. Here is what we found. is an occupational byname originally indicating someone who fixed feathers onto arrows. We have found several examples from as far back as , 1203; , 1203; and , 1227 [1]. At the end of the 16th century there are some other spellings of the same name, for example , , and [2]. Any of these spellings would be appropriate for your friend's requirements. Although is a fine choice of surname, it should not be understood to imply a connection with archery. By the 16th century almost all English surnames were inherited rather than descriptive. In 16th century England a man surnamed was no more likely than anyone else to be a maker of arrows. If a man's surname was , that was simply because his father's surname was . Even so, it is an excellent choice for your friend's period and place. was originally a Latin byname meaning 'red(-haired)'; it survived as a rare surname at least into the 19th century. [3] We have no evidence that it was used as a given name much before the 19th century [4]. Therefore, we cannot recommend that your friend uses as a given name, no matter what his hair color is. A man might have been known by just his surname in some circumstances, but of course he would also have had a given name. We have several articles that might help you with English masculine given names of the 16th century in the Academy's library. They may be found through: http://www.s-gabriel.org/docs/#england While our research may be used as supporting documentation for SCA registration, the Academy is not a part of the registration process. However we can advise that to register a name in the SCA you must have two name elements, a given name and a by-name. We hope this letter has been useful. Please write to 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 Maridonna Benvenuti, Amant le Marinier, Pedro de Alcazar, Arval d'Espas Nord and Talan Gwynek. For the Academy, Giles Leabrook. 17/ Jan /2000 _____________________________________ Bibliography. [1] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995). s.n. Fletcher [2] F. K. Hitching & S. Hitching, _References to English Surnames in 1601 and 1602_ , (Reprinted for Clearfield Company, Inc. by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1998) page 36 s.n. Fletcher [3] Bardsley, Charles, _A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames_ (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1980); s.n. Rufus. [4] Dunkling, Leslie and William Gosling, _The New American Dictionary of First Names_ (New York: Signet Books, 1983); s.n. Rufus. -------------------------------------------------- Correction 9 May 2000: We have found the name 1598-9. Bardsley, Charles, _A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames_ (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1980), p.243 s.n. Dingley.