ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 3013
http://www.s-gabriel.org/3013
************************************

2 Mar 2005
From: Josh Mittleman 


Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel!

You asked whether <Percival> was used as a masculine given name in
French between 1350 and 1450.

It was.  We have found two examples, spelled <Perceval>, in 14th
century Picardy; and two more, spelled <Persaval> and <Persivallus>
(Latinized), in 13th and 14th century Nice [1, 2].  The name was also
used occasionally in England from the late 14th century [3] and became
more common there in the 16th and 17th centuries [4, 5]; and we have
one example in mid-15th century Bruges [6].  It's likely that the name
was in occasional use throughout France, as part of a general fashion
for Arthurian given names.

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.  I was
assisted in researching and writing this letter by Aryanhwy merch
Catmael, Gunnvor Sifraharr, and Mari neyn Brian.

For the Academy,


  Arval Benicoeur
  3 Mar 2005


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

References

[1] Morlet, Marie-Therese, _Etude d'anthroponymie picarde, les noms de
personne en Haute Picardie aux XIIIe, XIVe, XVe siecles_ (Amiens,
Musee de Picardie, 1967), p.21.

[2] Compan, Andre/, _E/tude d'Anthroponymie Provenc,ale: Les Noms de
Personne dans le Comte/ de Nice aux XIIe, XIVe, et XVe Sie\cles_,
thesis at the Universite/ de Paris IV, Dec. 1975 (Paris: Librarie
Honore Champion, 1976), p.127.

[3] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_,
3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988), s.n. Perceval.  

[4] Dunkling, Leslie and William Gosling, _The New American Dictionary of
First Names_ (New York: Signet Books, 1983), s.n. Percival.

[5] Juetta Copin, private research based on Durham and Northumberland
genealogical records published by GENUKI.
http://website.lineone.net/~pjoiner/genuki/DUR/
http://www.genuki.bpears.org.uk/NBL/

[6] Luana de Grood, "Flemish Names from Bruges, 1400-1600", (WWW: Academy
of Saint Gabriel, 1996).
http://www.s-gabriel.org/docs/bruges/