ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 3354 http://www.s-gabriel.org/3354 ************************************ 24 Aug 2009 From: Robert Greetings from the Academy of St Gabriel! First, we apologize for the time it has taken to write this letter. You asked our help in creating a name for a woman living in 15th century France, preferably in the northeast, such as Picardy, Artois or Burgundy. You asked about the given name for a female persona, the surnames , and and you asked whether these surnames derive from the French word for flower, , and mentioned that you are particularly interested in a feminine-sounding byname. We'll discuss the given name you suggested first, and then the various bynames. We have found 34 examples of used as a woman's name between 1487 and 1612 in France.[1] Therefore is an appropriate choice for your persona's given name. In your period, many French people used inherited surnames. The surnames that you asked about have different origins, which we'll discuss individually. We found as a metronymic, a byname acquired from one's mother's given name. So this byname would mean in your case "daughter of a woman named Fleur". and on the other hand are diminutives of , probably referring to 'floss-silk' (an inferior silk), and are an occupational byname for a merchant or manufacturer of that fabric. [2] The following bynames come specifically from Picardy [3]: Raoul Florie 1404 Raoul Flory 1438 Jean Flouri 1452 Guiot Flourie 1384 Pierre Flourent 1436 Simon Flouretin 1419 Colart Flouriet 1475 These all originate as patronymic bynames, that is, bynames acquired from one's father's given name. , , , and ultimately derive from the Latin name (which itself is a derivative of Latin 'a flower'). (They may also derive from a byname meaning 'freckled or spotted'.) We believe is a diminutive of . The name derives from the Latin names or , both of which mean 'blooming/in bloom, flowering'. [4] We believe is a double diminutive of , which ultimately derives from the Latin name . We also found a woman named in Picardy in 1414. We thought you might be particularly interested in this name, since is a grammatically feminine article.[5] I hope that this information helps you. If you have any other questions or need further help, please do not hesitate to contact us again. I was assisted in writing this letter by Aryanhwy merch Catmael, Bronwyn ferch Gwyn ap Rhys, Talan Gwynek, and Elizabeth Turner de Carlisle. For the Academy, Robert. August 18, 2009 NOTES AND REFERENCES [1] Aryanhwy merch Catmael "Late Period French Feminine Names" http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/french/latefrench.html [2] Dauzat, Albert, _Dictionnaire Etymologique des Noms de Famille et Prenoms de France_ (Paris: Libraire Larousse, 1987) [3] Morlet, Marie-Therese, _Etude d'anthroponymie picarde, les noms de personne en Haute Picardie aux XIIIe, XIVe, XVe siecles_ (Amiens, Musee de Picardie, 1967), pp. 365, 385 [4] Dauzat s.nn. , [5] ibid