ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 3022 http://www.s-gabriel.org/3022 ************************************ 21 Mar 2005 From: Aryanhwy merch Catmael Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel! You asked for information about the French surnames and , and whether they were used before 1600. You also asked if we could recommend given names that would be appropriate to use with either surname, if they were. Here is what we have found. The modern surname may have developed as a nickname for someone with a rosy complexion. [5] is also the name of several small villages in France; a person from any of them might have been known as , which we find in 1421 and 1423. We also found the simple surname in 1421. [1] The modern French surname derives from or . In Old French, meant 'mastiff', and thus this was originally a byname for a vicious or aggressive man. [4] The word was spelled in 1169; this spelling is probably appropriate as a byname for the 12th and 13th centuries. [3] We know that the surname remained in use until modern times, though we are not sure when the spelling was first used. [2] A related word 'cruel, violent' or 'pillager, thief' is also found in the 12th century. [3] This word is found as a surname in Picardy in the 13th century. In this case, the surname derives from the word 'pillage'. [4] We can therefore recommend or as good choices for 15th-century surnames and some form of or for the 12th-century and later. If you would like to chose a given name to go with any of these surnames, we recommend the following articles: "An Index to the Given Names in the 1292 Census of Paris " http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/paris.html "French Names from Paris, 1421, 1423, & 1438" http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/french/paris1423.html 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 Arval Benicoeur and Juliana de Luna. For the Academy, -Aryanhwy merch Catmael, 21Mar05 -- References: [1] Friedemann, Sara L. (aka Aryanhwy merch Catmael), "French Names from Paris, 1421, 1423 & 1438" (WWW: privately published, 2002). http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/french/paris1423.htm [2] Morlet, Marie-Therese, _Dictionnaire E/tymologique des Noms de Famille_ (Librairie Acade/mique Perrin, 1997). [3] Greimas, Algirdas Julien, _Dictionnaire de l'ancien franc,ais_ (Paris: Larousse, 1997). s.v. gaignart, gaignon [4] 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.202 [5] Dauzat, Albert, _Dictionnaire Etymologique des Noms de Famille et Prenoms de France_ (Paris: Libraire Larousse, 1987), s.n. Larose.