ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 3304 http://www.s-gabriel.org/3304 ************************************ From: "Lisa and Ken Theriot" 26 Apr 2007 Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether is a suitable given name for a Romany (Gypsy) woman living in Spain sometime after 1300. Here is the information we have found. We have found very little information about period Romany names. What we've discovered boils down to this: The Romany used at least two names each -- a private name in their own language that was not used outside their community, and a public name in the language of the country where they lived. We have found no evidence at all on Romany private names. We have found a little evidence about their public names, which seem to be typical of the country where they are found. Therefore, the best general advice we can give you is that in public a Romany man or woman would have used a normal name for the time and place where he or she lived [1]. We have not found any form of in Spain prior to 1600. If your first priority is placing your persona in Spain, we recommend you choose another name. If you're interested in developing a Gypsy persona, we highly recommend this article: "Romany (Gypsy) Names" http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/arval/romany/ There is also a useful time line of Romany history at _The Patrin Journal_ timeline of Gypsy history. http://www.geocities.com/Paris/5121/timeline.htm We can't vouch absolutely for the accuracy of the information presented in the timeline, but it seems to agree with other sources we've seen. The timeline notes that in 1425, Roma were recorded in Zaragoza, Spain, and in 1492, the first anti-Gypsy laws are passed in Spain. It further notes that in 1499, "Medina del Campo in Spain orders Gitanos to find a trade and master, cease travelling with other Gitanos, all within sixty days. Punishment for failure to obey is 100 lashes and banishment. Repeat offences are punished by amputation of ears, sixty days in chains, and banishment. Third-time offenders become the slaves of those who capture them." Based on this information, if you want to have a Spanish gypsy persona, you'll want to place your persona in the 15th century. You can find some information on 15th century Spanish names here: "Cordobese names of the 15th century" http://www.historiaviva.org/nombres/nombres_cordob15-ing.shtml "Spanish Names from the Late 15th Century" http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/juliana/isabella/ "Spanish Names from the Inquisition Trials of Ciudad Real, 1483-1513" http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/spanish/ciudadreal.html "Spanish Names from Jae/n, 1495" http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/spanish/jaen1495.html The spelling appears as a feminine given name in Latin records from Palermo, Sicily in 1480 [2]. The history of Sicily is quite complex and the influences on the Sicilian naming pool were many and varied. However, Sicily came under the rule of the Royal House of Aragon in 1292, and under the united Kingdom of Spain in 1479, so at the time this name was recorded, Sicily was under Spanish control and had been for generations [3]. Accordingly, though we don't believe this example is sufficient to recommend the name for a woman in Spain, it's a plausible name for a woman living in Sicily who comes from a Spanish family or who culturally considers herself Spanish. The timeline referenced above notes Romany appearing in official records in Sicily as of 1485, about the same time as our example of . We believe is a fine name for a Romany woman living in Sicily in 1485. 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. I was assisted on this letter with research and commentary provided by Aelfwynn Leoflaede dohtor, Aryanhwy merch Catmael, Mari neyn Brian, and Maridonna Benvenuti. For the Academy, Adelaide de Beaumont 26 April 2007 References: [1] Barbara Jean Kuehl, newsgroup posting in Stefan's Florilegium: Gypsy Culture. She cites Jean-Paul Clebert, The Gypsies (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1967). http://www.florilegium.org/ [2] Armando Di Pasquale _Palermo nel 1480. La popolazione del quartiere della Kalsa_, Edizioni Mori, Palermo, 1975. [3] "Palermo." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 26 Apr 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Palermo&oldid=122027116