ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2126 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2126 ************************************ 6 Oct 2000 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether or is a real Scottish name. This letter is a brief answer to your question. We're familiar with the name from the same source as you, Lillian Jackson Braun's "Cat Who" series. It is a real name, but unfortunately we can't tell you its origin. It's important to keep in mind that modern authors generally aren't interested in the authentic use of names, so it's quite possible that she either invented the Scottishness of the name or got that idea from an unreliable source. Searching on the web, we found a genealogy which mentions a 17th century Quebecoise woman [1]. This is of course not a completely reliable source, but it does tell us that the name probably exists outside Ms. Braun's books. We haven't found the name in any of our references on French or Scottish names. The unusual spelling is typical of Scots (a language closely related to English, and spoken in the Scottish Lowlands from the 14th century onward). For example, the Scots equivalent to the word gave rise to surnames 1482, 1407, 1471, as well as 1376. All these spellings represent a more strongly articulated version of the sound that became in modern English. Thus, if there were an English surname , then would be an unsurprising Scots spelling. However, we've found no evidence that existed. We think we can offer a good guess at the origin of , but it provides no Scottish connection. The English surname derives from the Old French word "spoon, ladle", which was probably used for a maker or vendor of spoons [2]. There is a modern French surname , derived from a diminutive form of the same word [3]. We found no direct evidence that passed into English in the same way as , but it is quite plausible and offers a good explanation for . A second possibility is that the name developed from the Gaelic surname or . The slash in the names represents an acute accent mark on the preceding letter. These two names were used in Ireland, where the latter was anglicized as [4, 5]. It is not implausible that could have arisen as a variant of [6]. However, we have no evidence that this happened. Of course, both these hypotheses may be wrong. We hope this brief letter has been useful. Please write us again if you have any questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Adelaide de Beaumont, Talan Gwynek, Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn, Africa neyn Kenneoch, and Amant le Marinier. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 6 Oct 2000 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Jackie Giroux, "Ancestors of Albert Giroux" (WWW: Privately published). http://www.sewdoll.com/Giroux/girouxfam/pafg12.htm#54 [2] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995), s.n. Quiller. [3] Dauzat, Albert, _Dictionnaire Etymologique des Noms de Famille et Prenoms de France_ (Paris: Libraire Larousse, 1987), s.n. Cuiller. [4] MacLysaght, Edward, _The Surnames of Ireland_ (Dublin: Irish Academic Press Ltd., 1985, ISBN 0-7165-2366-3), s.n. Cuilinan(e). [5] Woulfe, Patrick, _Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames_ (Kansas City: Irish Genealogical Foundation), s.n. o/ Cuileanna/in. [6] Similar variations, with an 'n' shifting to 'r' when it is in close proximity to another 'n', can be observed in some Scottish names. For example, appears in Scots as and in Gaelic as , 1301, 1592, etc. Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History_, (New York: The New York Public Library, 1986), s.n. Ninian.