ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2420 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2420 ************************************ 30 Nov 2001 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether is an appropriate name for an Italian woman of the renaissance. This letter is a brief answer to your question. All the elements of your name were available in northern or central Italy in your period: and were recorded in 14th and 15th century Florence [1]; also appears in a list of names from 13th century Perugia [2]. In modern Italy, at least, is primarily used in the north [3]. The surname "tailor" was recorded in 14th century Venice [4]. While most people had only a single given name, double given names were used in late-period northern Italy. We don't have a clear picture of how common they were, but we think that is a reasonable choice. By your period, most central and northern Italians had inherited family names. So while your surname recognizably means "tailor", it would not necessarily have meant that anyone in your immediate family was himself a tailor. 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 Maridonna Benvenuti. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 30 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 Thirteenth Century Perugia" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1997). http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/arval/perugia/ [3] De Felice, Emidio, _Dizionario dei cognomi italiani_ (Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, 1978). De Felice, Emidio, _Dizionario dei nomi italiani_ (Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, Milan, 1992), s.n. Bello. [4] Arval Benicoeur and Talan Gwynek, "Fourteenth Century Venetian Personal Names" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1999). http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/arval/venice14/