ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2947 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2947 ************************************ 21 Oct 2004 From: Josh Mittleman Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether is an appropriate name for an Englishwoman between 1200 and 1600. Here is what we've found. We researched the use of for a previous client in this report: http://www.s-gabriel.org/1679 We found examples of the name in Italy and Eastern Europe, but not in England. We believe it was not used in England until the 19th century [1]. We therefore recommend you choose a different given name if you want a name accurate for late-period England. You can find several lists of late-period English given names in the English section of our Medieval Names Archive: http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/english.shtml We haven't found the surname in our pre-modern English data. There is a modern surname ; it appears to be French in origin [2]. The French names , , ultimately derive from a word for "wax", used as a surname for a manufacturer or merchant of wax or waxed goods [3, 4]. We can't say whether these names are the source of the modern , but it's certainly possible. For an Englishwoman, we can suggest a similar-sounding surname, one of the forms of the name . This name appeared as in 1273, in 1306, 1722, and 1769 [5, 6]. is plausible late-period English surname. We hope this letter has been useful. Please write us again if you have any questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Talan Gywnek. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 14 Oct 2004 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988), s.n. Seraphina. [2] Genealogical Database Network, search for "Cirret" http://search4.geneanet.org/result.php3?name=CIRRET [3] Morlet, Marie-Therese, _Dictionnaire E/tymologique des Noms de Famille_ (Librairie Acade/mique Perrin, 1997), s.n. Cire. [4] Dauzat, Albert, _Dictionnaire Etymologique des Noms de Famille et Prenoms de France_ (Paris: Libraire Larousse, 1987), s.n. Cire. [5] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995), s.n. Sired. [6] Bardsley, Charles, _A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames_ (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1980), s.n. Sired.