ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2495 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2495 ************************************ From: "Sara L Friedemann" 25 Mar 2002 Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel! You asked for information about the surname , wanting to know if it was Scotch-Irish and used between 1400 and 1450. Here is the information we have found. was originally used as a literal byname meaning "son of Watkin"; is a pet form of , a moderately common masculine name in England during the Middle Ages. We have found it in many different spellings in England: [1,2,3,4] Watkin 1252, Gloucestershire, 1575, 1578, Durham Watkyns 1327, Suffolk Wattkyn 1552, South Yorkshire Watkine 1577, Durham Watkyne 1584, 1600, 1602, 1603, Durham Watkyn 1598, Durham Wattkins 1607, Durham During the early 15th century, would have been used either as a literal byname (i.e., the bearer's father's name was or ) or as an inherited surname (i.e., the bearer's father's surname was ) depending on the place. You asked if was a Scotch-Irish name. The term "Scotch-Irish" refers to the Scottish Protestants who settled in Ulster in the 17th century and their descendants, particularly those who emigrated to America. Although there was some emigration between Scotland and Ireland in our period, they were far less numerous and were not identified as a separate group in the same way. In short, the term Scotch-Irish doesn't correctly apply to anyone in our period. Both Scotland and Ireland in your period were shared by more than one culture. Each country had a Gaelic population, but each also had a population descended from Norman and English immigrants which spoke its own language. And each of these communities used different sets of names and different naming customs. In order to choose a name appropriate to Ireland or Scotland in your period, it is necessary to start by deciding which culture you want to re-create. We have not found the given name or any surname derived from it used in Ireland in our period. The name was carried to both Ireland and Scotland by English settlers, and it remained in use among their descendents. The native Gaels of both countries adopted the name in modified forms, but itself is exclusively an English name. If you are interested in a name appropriate for a Gael in either Scotland or Ireland, we will be happy to help you; but the name doesn't fit within that goal. We hope that this letter has been useful to you, and that you will not hesitate to write again if any part was unclear or if you have further questions. Research and commentary on this letter were provided by Will Dekne, Talan Gwynek, Adelaide de Beaumont, Arval Benicoeur, and Julie Stampnitzky. For the Academy, ~Aryanhwy merch Catmael, 25Mar02 --------------------------------------- References: [1] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995). s.n. Watkins [2] "Marriages from the Sedgefield Registers (1581-1729)" (WWW: GENUKI, 1996) http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/SED.html [3] "Marriages from the Easington Registers (1570-1837)" (WWW: GENUKI, 1996) http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/EAS.html [4] "Marriages from the Bishop Middleham Registers (1559-1837)" (WWW: GENUKI, 1996) http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/DUR/BMI.html