ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2840 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2840 ************************************ 25 Apr 2004 From: Aryanhwy merch Catmael Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel! You wanted to know if is an appropriate surname for a Venetian woman living between 1490 and 1540. You also asked if we could recommend given names beginning with , other than . Here is the information we have found. In 14th century Venice, we find the feminine names and . [1,3] The latter name is also found, as or , in Florence in 1427. Another name which might appeal to you is , which is also found in Florence in 1427. [2] is the byname of the last queen of Cyprus, who ruled on her own after her husband died. [4] We haven't found this byname specifically in Venice, so we are not sure how appropriate it is as recreation for you. Bynames that are somewhat similar that we did find in Venice in the 14th-15th centuries include: [3] or (quite common) Any of these is a fine choice. We hope that this letter has been useful to you and that you won't hesitate to write us again if any part was unclear or if you have further questions. Research and commentary on this letter was provided by Mari neyn Brian, Arval Benicoeur, Maridonna Benvenuti, and Kolozsvari Arpadne Julia. For the Academy, -Aryanhwy merch Catmael, 25Apr04 -- References: [1] Arval Benicoeur and Talan Gwynek, "Fourteenth Century Venetian Personal Names" (WWW: Academy of Saint Gabriel, 1999). http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/arval/venice14/ [2] Arval Benicoeur, "Feminine Given Names from the Online Catasto of Florence of 1427" (WWW: Academy of Saint Gabriel, 1998). http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/arval/catasto/ [3] McKee, Sally, _Wills from Late Medieval Venetian Crete 1312- 1420_, 3 vols. (Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, 1998, ISBN 0884022455). [4] "LUSIGNAN DYNASTY: Decline", originally from Newman, P., (1940), A Short History of Cyprus, Longmans, Green & Co., London. http://bornova.ege.edu.tr/~ncyprus/lusig4.html As you noted, her given name was , and thus using with the byname could be construed as a claim of _being_ that queen.