Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 401

Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 401

This report is available at http://www.s-gabriel.org/401

Some of the Academy's early reports contain errors that we haven't yet corrected. Please use it with caution.

Greetings,

Here's the information we found on the names you sent in.

Many of the names you found are reasonable for your period and persona. Scots and English are quite similar, and the stock of names used in the two languages overlap significantly. Generally, we assume that common English names, or names used in northern England, would be appropriate for Scots as well.

"Morguenna" isn't a name in any language that we were able to find. We did find examples of "Merewen," a rare name of uncertain origin. However "Merewen" appears only in southern England and is not a likely name for a Scotswoman. "Morwen" is a variant of "Merewen."

Forms of "Ysabelle," "Gillian," and "Juliana" (the last two are related) are found in Scotland, so we can safely say that these names are appropriate for your persona.

"Kymme," (pronounced "KIM-meh") "Ravenild," ("RAH-ven-ild") and "Quenyeue" ("QUEN-yeh-veh") are not found in Scotland, but it's possible that they could have been used in Scotland.

"Alienor" was a common English name, but it isn't found in Scotland. It was popular in England because it was the name of Eleanor of Provence, the queen of Edward I. Edward I fought extensively with the Scots and so it's unlikely that "Eleanor" would have been used in Scotland.

While we didn't find any examples of "Blackwood" in Scotland, it's a plausible placename for Scotland. The most likely spelling would be "Blacwode."

Finally, you asked about a Celtic form of "Kimberlee." We can guarantee that there is no period form of your name in any Celtic language. It's possible to change the spelling of your name to fit Irish or Welsh spelling rules, but this isn't the same as actually finding a form of your name in one of these languages.

If you want a name that sounds similar, we found the Anglo-Saxon name "Cyneburh." This was used in various forms throughout our period, and is found in 1590 as "Kimborough." However, it probably wouldn't have been used in Scotland.

Because of the many names you asked about we haven't given complete information about all of them. If you let us know which names you're most interested in, we can provide more details about them.

Talan Gwynek, Arval Benicoeur, and Tangwystl verch Morgant Glasvryn contributed to this letter.

We hope this has been helpful, and that we can continue to assist you.

In service,
Alan Fairfax
Academy of S. Gabriel