ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1923 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1923 ************************************ 18 Feb 2000 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked our help creating an authentic 14th century Highland Scottish name, with or as your given name and , , or as your surname, and also wanted to know if would be authentic. Here is the information we have found. >From the 12th and 13th century, several languages were spoken in the area we now think of as Scotland. The most important ones were Norse, spoken in the far north and the western isles; English, spoken mainly in the southeast; Gaelic, spoken through much of the country; and Norman French, spoken by Norman settlers and their Scoto-Norman descendents, mostly in the south. In the late 14th century, the major languages were reduced to two: 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 these 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. and are Scots or English variant spellings of the name . was a rare name in Scotland before the 16th century, but it is recorded in these two spellings in the 14th century for Sir James Douglas, who was very likely named in honor of the son of a man who went on pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint James at Compestella. [6] In the 14th century, scribes often used to represent the consonant , in imitation of classical Latin. The name was pronounced \DJEH-m@ss\ in your period, with two syllables, the second syllable pronounced as in . It is a fine medieval name, but this spelling is not Gaelic, and would not have been used by a Gaelic-speaking Highlander. The Scottish Gaelic equivalent of is . Unfortunately, we don't think was used in Scottish Gaelic until the 16th century. The earliest evidence we found is the name , recorded in a Scots document in 1529, probably identifying a Gael named . [2] We recommend that if you wish to have a Gaelic persona, you choose a different given name, since neither nor its Gaelic equivalent is appropriate. is an anglicized form of the Gaelic patronymic byname . A patronymic byname is one that identifies the bearer's father. In medieval Scotland, these bynames were literal; a man would not be known as unless his father's given name was indeed . (The change from to is a requirement of Gaelic grammar, similar to the change between and ). Additionally, the byname is not related to the byname . The modern surname derived from the place name Moray. In your period, we find the following forms of the byname meaning "of Moray." [2, 3,5] Name Date Language de Moravia 1203 Latin Andreas de Morauia 1291 Latin Andreu de Morref 1291 Scoto-Norman French [4] Johannes de Morauia 1296 Latin Johan de Morref 1296 Scoto-Norman French [4] Hugo de Morauia 1296 Latin Hughe de Morreue 1296 Scoto-Norman French [4] William de Murref 1296 Scoto-Norman French Alanus de Morref 1296 Scoto-Norman French of Murref 14th c. Scots of Murreff 14th c. Scots de Moravia 1405 Latin In the 14th century, the region of Moray was mainly Gaelic speaking, but with a number of Scots-speaking families among the nobility, as well as Scots-speakers in its towns. So while it is possible for a Gaelic person to live in Moray in the 14th century, there are two reasons why it is not likely that he would have been known as in his Gaelic name. The first is that we have no examples of Gaels using locative bynames (bynames indicating the bearer's location) in their Gaelic names, and the second is that Gaelic and Latin forms were usually not mixed in a single name. A Gael might actually have been known as , but not in the Gaelic form of his name. In conclusion, would be a fine name for a Scots-speaking person from Moray; this name could have been recorded as in Latin. However, if you wish a Gaelic name, we recommend you choose a different given name, and use the Gaelic patronymic byname . For more information on Gaelic naming practices, and how to form correct Gaelic bynames, we recommend you read the following article, available in our library: "Quick & Easy Gaelic Bynames" http://www.stanford.edu/skrossa/medievalscotland/scotnames/quickgaelicbyname s/index.html There is also a list of Scottish Gaelic masculine names available on the web: "A Simple Guide to Constructing 12th Century Scottish Gaelic Names" http://www.stanford.edu/~skrossa/medievalscotland/scotnames/simplescotgaelic names12.html While this article deals with 12th century names, we believe that most of the names continued in use into the 14th century. If you are interested in knowing the correct 14th century spelling and pronunciation for any of the names, please write us again and we'll be happy to help. If you are interested in a Scots persona and wish to use a name other than , we recommend the following article: "13th & 14th Century Scottish Names" http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/symonFreser/scottish14/ 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 Zenobia Naphtali, Effrick neyn Kennyeoch, Raquel Buenaventura, Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn, Talan Gwynek, Adelaide de Beaumont, Mari Elspeth nic Bryan. For the Academy, Aryanhwy merch Catmael and Arval Benicoeur 18 Feb 2000 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References & Notes: [1] Symon Freser of Lovat, "13th & 14th Century Scottish Names" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1996). http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/scottish14/ [2] Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History_, (New York: The New York Public Library, 1986). s.nn. Macjames, Murray [3] Thomson, Thomas, _Instrumenta Publica Sive Processus Super Fidelitatibus et Homagiis Scotorum Domino Regi Angliae Factis A. D. MCCXCI-MCCXCVI_, vol. 48, _Bannatyne Club Publications_ (Edinburgh: Bannatyne Club, 1834) index [4] Likely the same person as listed above. [5] Symon Freser of Lovat, "13th & 14th Century Scottish Names" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1996). http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/scottish14/ [6] Barrow, G. W. S., _Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland_, 2nd ed.(Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1976). pp.220 and footnote