ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2467 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2467 ************************************ 28 Feb 2002 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether we could suggest an Arabic or Turkish masculine name, used during our period, that includes one or more of the syllables , or . Here is what we have found. We haven't found any Turkish names that fit your requirements. We only know a few period Turkish names; you can see most of them in Academy report 2423: http://www.s-gabriel.org/2423. In our period, an Arabic man was generally known by a given name of some kind plus a byname (surname) that identified him as his father's son, or by the place where he lived, his occupation, or some other similar characteristic. We've collected some Arabic given names and some bynames that might appeal to you, drawn from several parts of the Islamic word and from periods ranging from the 8th to the 12th century. We were fairly generous is judging which ones sound like the syllables you gave, so as to give you a wider choice [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Given names: Abd al-Jalil Abu Sa'id Balj Bilaal Hajib Husain Jalaf Jalid Muqbil Sa'id Sayyid Sayyar Shaybin T.aajin Zahir Bynames: al-Baji al-Dajaaji 'dealer in chickens' al-Jizi al-Sayyid Sarjii 'saddle-maker' S.ayrafii "money changer" Shat.ranjii 'chess player' Shiiraajii 'maker of sesame oil' The apostrophe in a couple of the names above represents a glottal stop, which is the sound in the middle of . The period in one name -- which should properly be a dot under the preceding letter -- indicates an emphatic consonant, i.e. one pronounced while constricting the pharynx. This is a feature of Arabic that's hard to explain; if you choose a name that contains such a consonant, we recommend you find a native Arabic speaker to demonstrate how to pronounce it. If one or two of these names interests you, we can give you its pronunciation and the exact reference to the source where we found it. Most Arabic men were identified as their father's sons, at least on some occasions. You could combine two of the given names above into such a name, e.g. . Or you could combine a given name with one of the bynames we've listed, e.g. . You had told us that your question was motivated by the nickname that you've been using, , which you said is the Turkish word for "computer". We obviously can't find a period word with that meaning, but we did find one name that might interest you, , used as a man's given name in 16th century Turkey [6]. Since the word means "fate" in modern English and thus has the sense of randomness or luck, we thought it might appeal to you. We might also be able to find some bynames with meanings like "the mathematician", "the astronomer", "the banker". Let us know if any of those interest you. 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 Juliana de Luna, Maridonna Benvenuti, Talan Gwynek, Will Dekne, and Aryanhwy merch Catmael. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 28 Feb 2002 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Juliana de Luna, "Andalusian Names: Arabs in Spain" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 2001). Names in this article range in date from 700 to 1200. http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/juliana/andalusia/ [2] Mustapha al-Muhaddith ibn al-Saqaat, "Arabic Pesonal Names from the Futuwwah", ed. Arval Benicoeur and Avelina of the Bridge (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1999). This source was written in the 10th century. http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/mustapha/futuwwah.html. [3] Da'ud ibn Auda, "Arabic Naming Practices and Names List," _Compleat Anachronist_ #51, "The Islamic World" (Milpitas: SCA, Inc, Autumn 1990; WWW: J. Mittleman, 1998). http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/daud/arabic-naming/ [4] Annliese Nef, "Anthroponymie et Jara'id de Sicile: Une Approche Renouvele/e de la Structure Sociale des Communaute/s Arabo-Musulmanes de l'I^le sous les Normands", pp.123-142 in Bourin, Monique, Jean-Marie-Martin, and Francois Menant, eds., _L'Anthroponymie: Document de l'Histoire Sociale des Mondes Me/diterrane/ens Me/die/vaux_, Collection de l'E/cole Franc,aise de Rome, 226 (Rome: E/cole Franc,aise de Rome, 1996). [5] Goitien, Solomon D, _A Mediterranean Society: The Jewish Communities of the Arab World as Portrayed in the Documents of the Cairo Geniza: Volume III: The Family_ (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1978). [6] Yvonne J. Seng, "Invisible Women: Residents of Early Sixteenth-Century Istanbul", _Women in the Medieval Islamic World_, ed. Gavin R.G. Hambly (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998). We have compiled lists of masculine and feminine names from the official records discussed in this article. You can see the full lists in our report 2423.