ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2870 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2870 ************************************ 16 Jul 2004 From: Femke de Roas Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked us if [1], , , , , or would be appropriate given names for a Lowland Scot living in the Perthshire region between 1200 CE and 1350 CE. In addition, you wished to know if would be an appropriate byname to use with one of these given names. First we should explain that the Perthshire region in this period was populated by both Gaels and non-Gaels. This means that both Gaelic and Scots were spoken. Both languages had their own naming conventions, though some names were used in both languages though in somewhat different forms. The modern surname derives from the Gaelic byname , meaning 'son of the stranger/exile.' [2] A person in your period who was known by this byname would literally have been the son of a stranger or exile; the name would not have identified him as part of a particular clan or sept. All of the given names you have asked about are of Anglo-Norman origin. They are most likely to be found with a Scots language byname. However, in this particular case we have a documented example of dated to the 13th century [3]. Combining the byname with one of the other given names you inquired about involves a bit more speculation, even though it is possible to find them all in a single period document [4]. We suggest that would be an appropriate name for a Lowlander in Perthshire during the 13th and early 14th century. It could also be a Scot-language rendering of the Gaelic name . Any of the other given names you asked about would also be appropriate as the name of a Lowlander when paired with the byname . 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. Research and assistance in writing this letter was provided by Maridonna Benvenuti, Adelaide de Beaumont, Arval Benicoeur, Aryanhwy merch Catmael, and Effrick neyn Kenneoch. For the Academy, Femke de Roas ______________________________________________________________________ REFERENCES [1] The '3' in stands for the 'yogh', which is one of several letters in Middle English that are no longer in use. This letter looks like the digit three '3' or sometimes like a lower- case 'z' whosebottom stroke has been continued down and around like the lower half of a '3'. In this case it is pronounced \y\ like the consonant in . [2] Dwelly, Edward, _Faclair gaidhlig: A Gaelic Dictionary_ (Herne Bay [Eng.] E. Macdonald & co., 1902-[11]), p. 1021. [3] Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History_, (New York: The New York Public Library, 1986). [4] Symon Freser of Lovat, "13th & 14th Century Scottish Names" (WWW: Academy of Saint Gabriel, 1996). http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/scottish14/