ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1959 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1959 ************************************ 23 Feb 2000 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked us to suggest surnames appropriate for a mid-14th century English nobleman. You said you'd like a name that is still in use in modern times and that explains why you use a griffin in your arms. Here is what we have found. We have a good general introduction to medieval English surnames. You can find it on the web: A Brief Introduction to Medieval Bynames http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/arval/bynames It discusses the basic types of bynames that were used in your period and gives some books you could consult for more ideas. We can suggest a few names that we think fit your interests very well. You are quite correct that it was common for a nobleman to choose a charge for his arms because its name sounded similar to his surname. This practice was called "canting". We found several names for which a griffin would be an excellent cant. The most obvious choice is , a surname which derived from an English form of the Welsh given name [1]. The name is especially appropriate for a nobleman of partly-Welsh descent, perhaps living along the Welsh border: The root name was more common among the Welsh nobility than among the general population, so it is a good choice for a nobleman [3]. The Old Norse word "hollow, pit" gave rise to various surnames that meant "person who lived near a hollow or pit". The modern and are recorded around your period as 1294, 1219, 1383 [1, 2]. is an appropriate name for your period, especially in the north of England where Scandinavian influence was strongest. 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 Maridonna Benevenuti, Raquel Buenaventura, Zenobia Naphtali, Talan Gwynek, Aryanhwy merch Catmael, and Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 23 Feb 2000 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995), s.nn. Griffin, Griff. [2] Ekwall, Eilert, _The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names_, 4th edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991), s.n. Griffe. [3] Jones, Thomas ed., _Brut y Tyysogyon or The Chronicle of the Princes_ (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1952).