ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2168 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2168 ************************************ 1 Dec 2000 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether is an appropriate name for an Irishwoman living between 950 and 1200. Here is what we have found. Unfortunately, the name you've chosen doesn't fit your culture. The reasons are complicated. We'll explain them in detail and suggest some ways we may be able to help you choose a more authentic name. You found in the article "A List of Feminine Personal Names Found in Scottish Records", where it is dated 1190-1220 [1]. Although this name is Scottish, it is not Gaelic. Gaelic was only one of several languages spoken in Scotland in this period, when Scotland was also inhabited by English, Normans, and other peoples [2]. We checked the source from which the early example of was taken. The name appears in a church record from Edinburgh, where the woman is identified as the widow of or [5]. The context tells us that she was English-speaking and/or a Scoto-Norman, not a Gael. Church records were almost invariably in Latin in this period, which complicates the problem of deducing the vernacular name represented by the Latin . There is a French name , recorded in 13th century Paris, which might have been used by a Scoto-Norman woman [3]. Alternatively, the English name , recorded in various forms in 12th and 13th century English records, could have been Latinized as and spelled in some grammatical contexts [4]. Both the French and English names were identical to the common words for in those languages. The French name was pronounced \flor-EE-@\, where \@\ represents the sound of the 'a' in or . The English name was \FLOOR\ or \FLOOR-@\, with the \OO\ as in . Anglo-Normans began settling Ireland in the late 12th century. It took some time for native Gaels to adopt forms of English and Norman names, so it is extremely unlikely that an Irish Gaelic woman living before 1200 would have been called or . Before 1100, it's essentially impossible. We have found no evidence that these names were ever adopted into Gaelic in Ireland or Scotland, and we can't speculate how they would have been spelled in Gaelic. If you'd like to consider a different name, we suggest you browse these articles: Dated Names Found in O Corrain & Maguire's Irish Names http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/mari/ocm/ Early Irish Feminine Names from the Index to O'Brien's Corpus Genealogiarum Hiberniae http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/tangwystyl/obrien/ You may also want to look at: Women's Names in the Annals of Connacht: 1224-1544 http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/mari/AnnalsConnacht/women.html These names were collected from material later than your period, but many of then were used earlier. Feel free to check with us about any particular name. The word is a late medieval spelling of the Gaelic word for "daughter". Before 1200, it was usually spelled . Gaelic spelling underwent a significant change around 1200, becoming more detailed to more accurately reflect pronunciation. The word was pronounced \EEN-y@n\. is a modern English spelling of the fairly common Gaelic masculine name that was spelled before 1200 [6]. The English form represents the modern pronunciation of the name; in your period, it was pronounced \MUR-kh@dh\, where \kh\ represents the raspy sound in the Scottish word or German and \dh\ is the sound of the in . This is a fine choice for your father's name. In a woman's byname, Irish grammar requires the possessive form of her father's name. For example, the Irish name meaning "Flann daughter of Murchad" is . Irish grammar also requires the initial \M\ sound to soften after the feminine noun , so this name was pronounced \FLAHN EEN-y@n VUR-kh@-dh@\ The was an alliance of clans that followed a common leader, somewhere between a super-clan and a small kingdom [7]. We have only found this name used in titles of office or rank, not as part of a person's name. Examples include "...ollave [10] of the Dal Cais" and "...archbishop of the Dal Cais" [8, 9]. The slash in the word represents an acute accent mark on the preceeding letter. The Dal Cais was made up of smaller clans, and individuals appear to have been identified by their particular clan. You don't need to mention your clan in your name: Most people were usually identified only by a given name and a byname naming their father. However, clan membership was sometimes included in personal names in your period. If you want to do that, we recommend you choose one of the individal clans that made up the Dal Cais. For example, Flann daughter of Murchad O/ Briain, might have been identified as , pronounced \FLAHN EEN-y@n VUR-kh@-dh@ (w)ee BREE-ahn~\. The symbol \(w)\ represents a lightly-pronounced \w\, and \n~\ represents the sound of in the word or in the French . 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 Mari neyn Brian, Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn, Africa neyn Kenneoch, Talan Gwynek, and Adelaide de Beaumont. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 1 Dec 2000 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Talan Gwynek, "A List of Feminine Personal Names found in Scottish Records" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1996). http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/talan/scottishfem/ [2] You can find an overview of the languages, cultures, and naming practices of Scotland on the web in Scottish Names 101. http://www.MedievalScotland.org/scotnames/scotnames101.shtml [3] Colm Dubh, "An Index to the Given Names in the 1292 Census of Paris", Proceedings of the Known World Heraldic Symposium 1996 (SCA: Montgomery, Alabama; WWW: SCA, Inc., 1997) http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/paris.html [4] Talan Gwynek, unpublished research. appears in the Pipe Rolls, 1192 and in the 1193 Pipe Rolls. and appear in the Ministers' Accounts of the Duchy of Cornwall, 1297; the apostrophes probably indicate a dropped 'e'. A diminutive appears in the mid-12th century. [5] Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History_, (New York: The New York Public Library, 1986), s.n. Quintin. [6] Jones, Heather Rose (aka Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn), "100 Most Popular Men's Names in Early Medieval Ireland" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1998). http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/tangwystyl/irish100 [7] "Brian" Encyclopędia Britannica Online. [Accessed December 1 2000]. http://www.eb.com:180/bol/topic?eu=16642&sctn=1 [8] O/ Corra/in, Donnchadh, ed., "Annals of Tigernach" (WWW: CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts: a project of University College, Cork, Ireland, 1996), entry T1158.1. http://www.ucc.ie/celt/online/G100002/ [9] Mavis Cournane & Donnchadh O/ Corra/in, "Annals of the Four Masters", v.5 (WWW: CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts: a project of University College, Cork, Ireland, 1997), entry M1573.3. http://www.ucc.ie/celt/online/G100005E [10] An ollave ( in Gaelic) was a rank of bard in Gaelic society.