ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2219 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2219 ************************************ 6 Mar 2001 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether is an appropriate name for the son of an Anglo-Norman man and his Scottish wife in the period 1100-1150. Here is what we have found. The name is basically fine, though the exact form isn't correct for your period. We'll discuss each element in detail and then suggest appropriate spellings for both Anglo-Norman and Latin. is an English spelling of the Gaelic name . Spellings of the name from your period retain all three syllables; it appears in 11th century English records as and ; and in 12th century records as [1, 2]. Any of these spellings is appropriate for your period. The name appears in Latin records from Scotland c.1198 as [3]. is also a later-period spelling. In Latin documents from England in your period, the name is spelled [2]; the Anglo-Norman spelling was probably . Mixing an English form of a Gaelic-origin name with an Anglo-Norman name is fine for your period (though it might be problematic in other periods): The name was clearly familiar to the Anglo-Normans. Malcolm IV of Scotland ruled 1153-1165, and his son was William the Lion. Surnames like didn't come into use in England until the late 13th century. A similar form occurs somewhat earlier: We find during the reign of Henry II (1154-89), and 1195 [4]. It's possible that this form was used as early as 1150, so you might want to use . However, it was much more common in your period to simply use a man's father's name on its own as his surname [5]: Willelmus Bertram c.1086 Rogerus Daniel c.1086 Rau Folkard c.1100 Geffrei Goel c.1100-1130 Robert Auenel 1139 [6] Our recommendation, therefore, is that you use a name like . If your name had been written in 12th century England, it would usually have been written in Latin. Likely Latin forms of your name include or , both of which would have been understood to mean "Malcolum, Willelm's son". 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, Talan Gwynek, Adelaide de Beaumont, Aryanhwy merch Catmael, AElfwyn aet Gyrwum, and Juliana de Luna. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 6 Mar 2001 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988), s.n. Malcolm. [2] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995), s.nn. Malcolm, William. [3] Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History_, (New York: The New York Public Library, 1986), s.n. Malcolm. [4] Reaney & Wilson, s.nn. FitzSimon, Hugh. [5] Tengvik, Goesta, _Old English Bynames_ (Uppsala: Almqvist & Wiksells Boktryckeri-A.-B., 1938), ch. II.A.5. [6] Reaney & Wilson, s.n. Avenall.