ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 3234 http://www.s-gabriel.org/3234 ************************************ 12 Dec 2006 From: Aryanhwy merch Catmael Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel! You wanted to know what form of the name is an authentic for a 12th or 13th century Englishman. Here is what we have found. >From the 12th century on, became increasingly popular in England, until in the latter half of the 16th century, 15% of all men in England were baptized . [1] It is therefore a fine choice for your period. During your period, one of the most common types of bynames is the patronymic, in which the father's given name is used as a byname. The surname is one of these types. It is derived from , a nickname of . The nickname shows up from the middle of the twelfth century onwards: We find in 1166 and in 1196, as well as the Latinized form in 1191 and 1207. Two thirteenth century men, 1201 and 1230, are also recorded as . [2,5] This nickname was used as a patronymic byname; and , recorded in 1180 and 1220 were probably both sons of men called or . [2] The form is a possessive form of these nicknames. [3] This possessive construction was rare during your period; it wasn't until the 14th century that it became common. We have a few early examples of the construction, e.g. , , and all in 1279 [4], but the earliest we find a form of is in 1327, where it is spelled . [2] For your period, we therefore recommend that you use one of the spellings without a final . For example, is a typical spelling for both the 12th and 13th centuries. 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 Maridonna Benvenuti, Talan Gwynek, Eleyne de Comnocke, Arval Benicoeur, and Margaret Makafee. For the Academy, -Aryanhwy merch Catmael, 12 December 2006 -- References: [1] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988), s.n. John [2] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995), s.n. Wilkin [3] Like the change from to in English. [4] Reaney & Wilson, op. cit., s.nn. Dobb, Hob, Robins [5] Bardsley, Charles, _A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames_ (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1980), s.n. Wilkin