ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2071 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2071 ************************************ From: "Sara L Friedemann" 18 Apr 2000 Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You wanted to know if any feminine form of was used in France between 1250 and 1600. Here is the information we have found. We have previously written a report on the use of feminine forms of throughout Europe in the Middle Ages. A copy of that report is listed below: [1] Please do not hesitate to write us again if you have any further questions. ------- You asked us whether the feminine name or was used in the period from 500 to 1600 AD. We found the related masculine name in use during this period in various spellings in France [1,2,3,4], England [5,6], Italy [7,8], and Poland [9], among others. Despite the popularity of the masculine name , we could find no evidence of a feminine form before the 19th century. The name or can be found in several languages currently, including English, German, and Italian. Our sources differ on the origin of the name -- one traces it to French, one to Italian -- but none of these references provides dated examples before the 19th century, nor do they provide clear evidence of the origin of the name. We think it is quite likely a modern invention, in any case. We hope this research has been helpful, and are sorry we could not find conclusive information for you. We hope that we can continue to assist you with future questions. Talan Gwynek and Arval Benicoeur contributed to this letter. In service, --Walraven van Nijmegen Academy of S. Gabriel [1] Marie-Therese Morlet, _Dictionnaire E/tymologique des Noms de Famille_ (Librairie Acade/mique Perrin, 1997) [2] Albert Dauzat, _Dictionnaire Etymologique des Noms de Famille et Prenoms de France_ (Paris: Libraire Larousse, 1987) [3] Marie-Therese Morlet, _Etude d'anthroponymie picarde, les noms de personne en Haute Picardie aux XIIIe, XIVe, XVe siecles_ (Amiens, Musee de Picardie, 1967) [4] Marie-Therese Morlet, _Les Noms de Personne sur le Territoire de l'Ancienne Gaule du VIe au XIIe Siecle_ (Paris: Centre Nacional de la Recherche Scientifique, 1968) [5] P.H. Reaney & R.M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995) [6] E.G. Withycombe, _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988) [7] Emidio De Felice, _Dizionario dei Nomi Italiani_ (Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, Milan, 1992) [8] Emidio De Felice, _Dizionario dei Cognomi Italiani_ (Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, 1978) [9] Witold Taszycki (ed.), _Slownik Staropolskich Nazw Osobowych_, 7 vols. (Wroclaw: Zaklad Narodowy Imienia Ossolin'skich, Polska Akademia Nauk, 1965-1987) [10] Hans Bahlow, _Unsere Vornamen im Wandel der Jahrhunderte_, Vol. 4 in the series _Grundriss der Genealogie_ (Limburg a. d. Lahn: C. A. Starke Verlag, 1965). s.n. Daniel(l)a [11] Guenther Drosdowski, _Duden Lexikon der Vornamen_, 2nd ed. (Mannheim: Dudenverlag, 1974) [12] Dunkling, Leslie and William Gosling, _The New American Dictionary of First Names_ (New York: Signet Books, 1983) ------- For the Academy, ~Aryanhwy merch Catmael, 18Apr00 --------------------------------------- References: [1] http://www.panix.com/~gabriel/public-bin/showfinal.cgi?1639