ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2994 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2994 ************************************ 31 Jan 2005 From: Aryanhwy merch Catmael Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel! You wanted to know if or is an appropriate name for an English woman living around 1350. Here is the information we have found. is the usual Latin form of the English name ; we find in 1186-1219, 1316, and 1401 and in 1327. [1,2] is a fine choice for your name, and is how it would be found in written documents in Latin. , a diminutive of , was very popular in your period, and in many cases was used interchangeably with . [2] You are correct that is a variant spelling of . We found your byname spelled as 1230, 1392, 1318, 1385-6, 1334, 1372, and 1382. [2,3] Any of these is a fine choice for your period; in these documentary spellings, represents English . In sum, is a lovely name for an English woman in your period. In Latin records, it might have been recorded as . 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 Talan Gwynek, Maridonna Benvenuti, Arval Benicoeur, Walraven van Nijmegen, and Adelaide de Beaumont For the Academy, -Aryanhwy merch Catmael, 31 January 2005 -- References: [1] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988). s.n. Emma [2] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995). s.nn. Emm, Emmatt, Foxlee [3] Bardsley, Charles, _A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames_ (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1980). s.n. Foxley