ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2704 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2704 ************************************ 17 Mar 2003 From: Josh Mittleman Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether is an appropriate name for a 15th or 16th century Irish Gaelic woman, and you asked if it is possible to add a period Gaelic version of the modern family name . This letter is a brief answer to your question. is a modern name, a diminutive form of . (The slash represents an acute accent mark on the preceding letter.) The root name was used in Ulster in the 16th century, but we have found no evidence that the diminutive form was used before modern times [1, 2, 3]. We recommend you choose a different name. You can find some lists of 16th century Irish Gaelic names in our Medieval Names Archive, specifically in the article that is our reference [2]. The modern Irish surname or is English in origin, ultimately derived from one of several places in England that are today called , , , and . It was imported to Ulster by English settlers in the 17th century. The Gaelic is modern adaptation of the English name to Gaelic spelling and naming customs [4, 5, 6]. If you want a pre-1600 Gaelic name, then this is also not a good choice. You can find general information about Gaelic naming customs in our period in the article: Quick and Easy Gaelic Names http://www.MedievalScotland.org/scotnames/quickgaelicbynames/ 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 Aryanhwy merch Catmael, Adelaide de Beaumont, and Effrick neyn Kennyeoch. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 17 Mar 2003 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] O/ Corra/in, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire, _Irish Names_ (Dublin: The Lilliput Press, 1990), s.n. Ro/is. [2] Mari Elspeth nic Bryan, "Index of Names in Irish Annals: Feminine Names" (WWW: Academy of S. Gabriel, 2000-2002), s.n. Ro/is. The article cites examples of from 1525, 1530, 1566, and 1607. http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/mari/AnnalsIndex/Feminine/ [3] The SCA's Laurel Sovereign of Arms has decided that unless further evidence is found, will be considered a modern name and cannot be registered. See the May 2002 Letter of Acceptances and Returns, Acceptances:Caid:Rois inghean ui Fhlaithbheartaigh. [4] MacLysaght, Edward, _The Surnames of Ireland_ (Dublin: Irish Academic Press Ltd., 1985, ISBN 0-7165-2366-3), s.n. Wylie. [5] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995), w.n. Wiley. [6] In some cases, might derive from a non-Gaelic Lowland Scottish family name , which was itself derived from the given name . Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History_, (New York: The New York Public Library, 1986), s.n. Wylie.