ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1975 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1975 ************************************ From: Lisa and Ken Theriot 17 Apr 2000 Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You wanted to know about appropriate surnames in Italian or French for use with the given name between the years 1050 and 1550. You particularly wanted information on names similar to or . Here is what we have found. The name is recorded in Florence in the 15th century [1]; it is pronounced \ah-les-SAHN-dra\. We also find the masculine form recorded in 15th century Venice [2]. Your name is a fine choice for the 15th century, and probably somewhat earlier. Romances featuring heroes (like Alexander) and legends (like King Arthur) were popular throughout Italy in the 12th and 13th centuries, and many names from these stories became popular by consequence. We do not find any references to masculine or feminine forms of the name dating back as far as 1050, and we do not believe it is plausible before the 12th-13th century. For most of your period, an Italian woman would be known as the daughter of her father; during the last few decades, she might instead use an inherited family name. Your suggested name, , is close to a correct patronymic form. The masculine given name [3] would give rise to the patronymic , pronounced \dee tcheh-LES-toh\. We believe that is a plausible choice for northern and central Italy throughout your chosen period. For the latter part of your period, you have an additional choice in , which would be an inherited family name, meaning "of the family " [4]. We do not find any form of the name in France during your period. There is a similar-sounding, though unrelated feminine name, , which we find recorded in 14th century Foix. [5] This name, from a Germanic source, would most likely have been recorded as for the first part of your period, and from the 14th century. We do not find 15th or 16th century examples of the name, so it is possible that the name fell out of use for the last part of your period. The modern French surnames , , and derive from masculine given names that were originally popularized in the Middle Ages by the various popes . [The "/" indicates an accent mark over the preceding letter.] We don't have enough data to be sure when and where in France was used, but we believe it is a plausible surname for your entire period. Until the 14th century or so it would probably have implied that your father's given name was ; later in period, it would most likely have been an inherited family name. We believe the names and are plausible choices if you prefer a French name. is pronounced \ah-lis-SENT\, and is appropriate for the 13th century. is appropriate for the 14th and early 15th century, and is pronounced \al-l is-SEND-@\ or \al-lis-SAND-@\. is pronounced \say-LEST-@\ [@ represents the sound of the letter "a" in "about"]. We did not find any names similar to in either French or Italian; we do not believe that it is a good choice. We hope this letter has been helpful to you. Please do not hesitate to write again if you have other questions, or if anything in this letter has been unclear. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Arval Benicoeur, Aryanhwy merch Catmael, Raquel Buenaventura and Talan Gwynek. For the Academy, Adelaide de Beaumont 17 April 2000 References: [1] Arval Benicoeur, "Feminine Given Names from the Online Catasto of Florence of 1427" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1998) [URL:http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/arval/catasto], accessed 17 April 2000. [2] Arval Benicoeur and Talan Gwynek, "Fourteenth Century Venetian Personal Names" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1999) [URL:http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/arval/venice14/], accessed 17 April 2000. [3] De Felice, Emidio, _dizionario dei nomi italiani_. Arnoldo Mondadori: Milan, 1986 (s.n. Celeste). [4] Fucilla, Joseph G., _Our Italian Surnames_ (Evanston, IL: Chandlers' Inc., 1949) (pp.15-16, 187). [5] Cateline de la Mor, "Names from Fourteenth Century Foix" (SCA: Trimarian Known World Heraldic Symposium, AS XXIX; WWW: J. Mittleman, 1997) [URL:http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/cateline/foix.html], accessed 17 April 2000. [6] Morlet, Marie-Therese, _Dictionnaire E/tymologique des Noms de Famille_ (Librairie Acade/mique Perrin, 1997).