ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 3095 http://www.s-gabriel.org/3095 ************************************ 6 Dec 2005 From: Gunnvor Silfraharr Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether the surname was in use anywhere during the Middle Ages. You also asked if we could suggest a given name appropriate for use with this surname that starts with a \K\ sound, followed by a vowel and \n\. The surname appears to be a variant of , a Middle High German form of the cantonal name now spelled ; we found , referring to the canton, in a late 13th century Latin document and in a German document from 1339 [1, 2]. As further confirmation, we found the ethnic term , "a native of the canton Schwyz; a Swiss", in 1329 or a little earlier [3]. While it's possible that was occasionally replaced by in this name, we haven't seen any comparable examples and cannot recommend the form . We also found a given name that fits the sound pattern you described. In the late 13th c., we found the names , , and , where the square brackets indicate a letter placed directly above the preceding one [3]. These are all pet forms of the name . is an Old High German form that was already going out of use at that point; indeed, it may already have been only a documentary form. and , however, were certainly current in the 14th century. In summary, , , , or would be fine names for a 14th century German man. I 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 Talan Gwynek, Aryanhwy merch Catmael, Arval Benicoeur, and Juliana de Luna. For the Academy, Gunnvor Silfraharr 6 December 2005 ----------------------------------------------------- References [1] "Eternal Bond of Brothers -- Between Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden (August 1291; Transcription of Latin original)". (WWW: Brigham Young University, 1999). http://www.lib.byu.edu/~rdh/eurodocs/swit/brudbund.html [2] "Vorlesung 'Wald- und Forstgeschichte', SS 2005" http://www.fowi.ethz.ch/pfe/lehre/VorlSS050412kurz.pdf [3] Socin, Adolf, _Mittelhochdeutsches Namenbuch. Nach oberrheinischen Quellen des 12. und 13. Jahrhunderts_ (Basel: Helbing & Lichtenhahn, 1903; Hildesheim: Georg Olms Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1966). p. 556. -----------------------------------------------------