ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2631 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2631 ************************************ 11 Mar 2003 From: Marianne Perdomo Machin Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked about an appropriate name for a man living in southern Italy, preferably around the islands near Sicily, during the period 1300-1600. You were interested in the names <Othello> and <Niccola>, and the surname <da Lipari>. This letter summarizes our findings. <Othello> is an English form of an Italian name, <Ottello>. The combination <th> is quite rare in Italian, so <Othello> is unlikely to have been used in Italian. We have not found <Ottello> as a period Italian name, but we have found <Oddo> or <Otto>, the root name, and other derivative forms during your period: <Ottobono>, <Ottolino>, <Ottino>, <Ottone> [2, 3, 4, 5]. <Odello>, <Ottela>, and <Ottonello> are all in use in modern Italy, mostly in the north [1]. The diminutive ending <-ello> was used in the south in names like <Antonello> and <Giovanello> [6], so <Ottello> seems entirely plausible. In Italy it would be pronounced as \oht-TEL-loh\. Regarding the name <Niccola>, both <Nicola> and <Niccola> were used by men and women in our period and continue to be so used today [7]. We've seen the name mostly spelled with one <c> in period sources [8, 9]. In some areas at least the form <Niccolo> was more common [10]. <Lipari> is an island just north of Sicily [11]. A medieval man from there might have been known as <da Lipari> or <de Lipari> -- we've seen both forms in southern Italian sources [6]. In short, we believe that <Ottello da Lipari> is an entirely plausible name for a southern Italian man of your period. <Nicola da Lipari> would be an even better choice, but we can't tell you whether it was more likely to be spelled <c> or <cc> in your region, or if <Niccolo> would be a more appropriate choice. 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 Maridonna Benvenuti, Arval Benicoeur and Aryanhwy merch Catmael. For the Academy, Leonor Martin 11 Mar 2003 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References: [1] De Felice, Emidio, _Dizionario dei cognomi italiani_ (Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, 1978), s.n. Oddo. [2] Examples in southern Italy include <Nikolaos Odo> 1063 in Lucania; <Johannes de Oddone> 1269, <Ottini> and <Ottone>. Rohlfs, Gerhard, _Dizionario dei Cognomi e Soprannomi in Calabria (Ravenna: A. Longo, 1978), pp.192, 194. [3] We found <Otto> and <Ottobono> in use in Renaissance Florence. 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] We have found the name <Oddo> in Arezzo. Aryanhwy merch Catmael , _Names from Arezzo, Italy, 1386-1528_ (WWW: Sara L. Friedemann, 2003) [5] The Online Catasto includes the names <Otto> and <Ottolino> in 15th century Florence. Ferrante laVolpe, _Men's names from Florence, 1427_ (WWW: Self-published, 1996; J. Mittleman, 1999). http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/ferrante/catasto/ [6] Examples from the 15th and 16th centuries are: <Antonello>, <Colacello>, <Marcello>, <Giovanello> and <Jacopello>. In the early 17th century we find <Franceschiello>. Maridonna Benvenuti, _Southern Italian Names from Dizionario dei Cognomi e Soprannomi in Calabria_ (WWW: Andrea Hicks, 2001). http://www.maridonna.com/onomastics/Southern%20Italian%20Names/SITN_INTRO.htm [7] De Felice, Emidio, _Dizionario dei nomi italiani_ (Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, Milan, 1992), s.n. Nicola. [8] We found a <Nicola> in the 14th century, two in the 15th century, one in the 16th and 17th centuries, and a <Giovan Nicola> in the 15th century. Maridonna Benvenuti, op. cit. [9] Related spellings from Calabria: 14th C. Niccolo - 1, Nicola - 1, (Nicholaus - 1, Nicolaus - 1) 15th C. Nicola - 2, Nicolo - 1 16th C. Nicola - 1, (Nicolaus - 4) 17th C. Nicola - 1 Rohlfs, Gerhard, _Dizionario dei Cognomi e Soprannomi in Calabria (Ravenna: A. Longo, 1978). [10] In this data <Ni\ccolo> is found 47 times and <Nicola> 3; <Ni\ccolo> is the second most popular name in the data set. Aryanhwy merch Catmael , op. cit. [11] Maridonna Benvenuti, "Mercator's Place Names of Italy in 1554" (WWW: Academy of Saint Gabriel, 2001). http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/maridonna/mercator/