ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2413 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2413 ************************************ 18 Nov 2001 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether is an appropriate name for a woman from the area of Florence in the second half of the 15th century. This letter is a brief answer to your question. You've chosen a fine name. was a fairly common name in Florence in your period; it was also spelled and [1, 2]. The family name is also recorded in Florence in your period [3]. A woman named who was the daughter of Niccolo Bischeri might have been known as as well as . The name , pronounced \bis-KAIR-ee\, probably derives from a Tuscan slang word that means "idiot, fool" [4]. It is fine re-creation, but if the meaning doesn't appeal to you we'll be happy to help you choose a different surname. 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 Talan Gwynek, Aryanhwy merch Catmael, and Maridonna Benvenuti. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 18 Nov 2001 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Rhian Lyth, "Italian Renaissance Women's Names" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1996). http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/rhian/italian.html [2] Arval Benicoeur, "Feminine Given Names from the Online Catasto of Florence of 1427" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1998). http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/arval/catasto [3] Herlihy, David, R. Burr Litchfield, and Anthony Molho, "Florentine Renaissance Resources: Online Tratte of Office Holders 1282-1532" (WWW: Brown University, Providence, RI, 2000). http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/tratte/ [4] Rebora, Piero, Francis M. Guerico and Arthur L. Hayward, eds., _Cassell's Italian Dictionary: Italian-English; English-Italian_ (New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1967), s.v. bischero. The more common meaning of is "a musical tuning peg", but the Tuscan slang usage seems a more likely source of a surname, especially since is recorded in Florence.