ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 3269 http://www.s-gabriel.org/3269 ************************************ 30 Apr 2007 From: Aryanhwy merch Catmael Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel! You wanted to know if (where the / represents an acute accent over the previous letter) is an authentic name for a Sephardic Jew living in Spain just before and during the Diaspora. Here is what we have found. Forms of both and were very common given names among Spanish Jews. We find in Navarre in 1350 and 1366, and in Catalonia between 1250 and 1400. In the Catalonian records we also find and . [1,2] We found a number of Spanish forms of during your period: [1,2,3] Ac,ac Navarre, 1366 Ac,ach Navarre, 1350 Cach Navarre, 1350 C,ach Navarre, 1350 Isaach Catalonia, 1250-1400 Isach Catalonia, 1250-1400 Ysach Catalonia, 1250-1400; Valencia, 1293-1485 In the list above represents the Spanish c-cedilla. These spellings can all be described as standard or typical. The spelling , on the other hand, is somewhat atypical. would have been pronounced with three syllables, whereas the standard spellings have just two syllables. However, we did find examples of . In 1471 we find one , and in records from Castille between 1477 and 1504 we find another person named . While neither of these people were identified as Jewish in our sources, it is likely that they are, given their names. [4,7] Another study of Jews at the time of the expulsion, these Jews living in Torrelaguna, 58 km from Madrid, we find (also recorded as ) and . [9] We also found three Jewish men living in Toledo before the expulsion of 1492, , , and . [8] However, we are not sure whether our source retained the spellings found in the original medieval records or whether it modernized or regularized the forms. However, based on all this, we see no reason not to recommend as an authentic, if unusual, spelling. The surname derives from the given name , and was originally used by men who's father's name was . In Catalonia between 1250 and 1400, we find one Jewish man named , and another named . [2] We also found a in Valencia between 1293 and 1300, and a in Valencia between 1350 and 1400. [3] Also in Valencia we find two forms of the surname : between 1350 and 1400, and in 1433. [3] By the 14th century, Jews in Spain and Portugal generally had inherited family names, as in these examples from non-Jewish records: , sister of 1385 [5] , widow of 1495 [6] However, the system of using two bynames conjoined with did not arise until the end of the of the 16th century. [10] Because the Jews were expelled from Iberia in 1492, we recommend that you use either or , but not both. 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, Juetta Copin, Adelaide de Beaumont, and Talan Gwynek. For the Academy, -Aryanhwy merch Catmael, 30 April 2007 -- References: [1] Juliana de Luna, "Medieval Spanish Jewish Names of the 13th and 14th Centuries" (WWW: Academy of Saint Gabriel, 1998). http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/juliana/iberian-jewish/ [2] Juliana de Luna, "Jews in Catalonia: 1250 to 1400" (WWW: Academy of S. Gabriel, 2002). http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/juliana/catalan-jews/ [3] Yehoshua ben Haim haYerushalmi, "A sample of Jewish names in Valencia 1293-1485" (WWW: Academy of S. Gabriel, 2003). http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/yehoshua/names_in_valencia.html [4] Juliana de Luna, "Spanish Names from the Late 15th Century" (WWW: Academy of Saint Gabriel, 1999-2000). http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/juliana/isabella/ [5] Cubellis i Llorens, Josefina. The Jews of Tortosa 1373-1492: Regesta of Documents from the Archivo Histo/rico de Protocols de Tarragona (Sources for the History of Jews in Spain vol. 3, Ed. Yom Yov Assis). Jerusalem, 1991. p. 74 [6] Motis Dolader, Miguel Angel. The Expulsion of the Jews from Calatayud 1492-1500: Documents and Regesta (Sources for the History of Jews in Spain vol. 2, Ed. Yom Yov Assis). Jerusalem, 1990. p. 234 [7] Rubio Garci/a, Luis, _La procesio/n de corpus en el siglo XV en Murcia_ (Murcia: Universidad de Murcia, Departamento de Filologia Romanico, 1987) http://descargas.cervantesvirtual.com/servlet/SirveObras/01604307103473980780035/023463.pdf [8] "Lista de sobrenomes de Judeus de Toledo (Espanha) antes da Expulsa~o de 1492" (WWW: No date) br.geocities.com/cristaosnovos/listadesobrenomesdejudeusdetoledoespanhaantesdaexpulsaode1492.doc [9] Cantera Montenegro, Enrique, "Judi/os y conversos de Torrelunga (Madrid) en tiempos de la explusio/n", _Estudios en memoria del Profesor D. Salvador de Moxo_, 1. U. C. M. 1982, pp. 233-252. http://www.ucm.es/BUCM/revistas/ghi/02143038/articulos/ELEM8282120233A.PDF [10] De Atienza, Julio, _Nobilario Espan~ol_ (Madrid: Aguilar SA de Ediciones, 1954) has two late 16th-century examples: Pedro Luis Galcero/n de Borja y Castro-Pino/s> and .