ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2499 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2499 ************************************ 29 Mar 2002 From: Aryanhwy merch Catmael Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel! You wanted to know if would be an appropriate name for a German woman living between 1200 and 1600. Here is the information we have found. The name was used in some form throughout the entire period you are interested in, though it was less common towards the end. In Arnsburg, the name in the form is quite common between 1200 and 1250; between 1250 and 1350 it is found in the spelling . These are both Latin forms of the name; vernacular (spoken) forms were probably and , respectively. In these data, the latest examples of the name that we have, in the forms and , are all found before 1400. [1] In another study of names from Muensterland in 1498, 17.4% of the women were named . [2] was originally a form of , which is in turn from . is a form of the name of a Breton saint, whose name is recorded as in Latin. We found one example of used in 1363 as a given name, [3]. As a surname, originally indicated that the bearer's father's name was or . Towards the end of the period you're interested in, though, it had most likely become an inherited surname, and would simply mean that the bearer's father's surname was also . 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 Adelaide de Beaumont, Talan Gwynek, Falk vom Weserbogen, and Arval Benicoeur. For the Academy, ~Aryanhwy merch Catmael, 29Mar02 --------------------------------------- References: [1] Mulch, Roland, _Arnsburger Personennamen: Untersuchungen zum Namenmaterial aus anrsburger Urkunden vom 13. - 16. Jahrhundert_ (Darmstadt & Marburg: Hessischen Historischen Kommission Darmstadt and the Historischen Kommission fu:r Hessen, 1974). p.37-40 [2] dtv-Atlas Namenkunde, Konrad Kunze, Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, Muenchen 2000, Page 44 [3] Brechenmacher, Josef Karlmann, _Etymologisches Woerterbuch der deutschen Familiennamen_ (Limburg a. d. Lahn, C. A. Starke-Verlag, 1957-1960). s.n. Jobs