Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 421

Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 421

This report is available at http://www.s-gabriel.org/421

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

Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel!

You asked for documentation of the name "Giuseppina" in 14th century Italian. Here is what we have found.

We could not find a citation of any form of "Giuseppe", masculine or feminine, in Italian before the 15th century. The earliest example we found is "Giuseppe Ebreo", who lived in the 15th century [1]. In general, the name "Joseph" was not as common anywhere in medieval Europe as it is today; the cult of St. Joseph did not flourish until late in our period. However, we do have evidence that the name was used occasionally from the 11th century onward [2]. We feel that the feminine name "Giuseppa" was very probably used, albeit rarely, and the construction of the diminutive "Giuseppina" is consistent with a strong pattern of name usage from your period. However, one of our sources notes that the modern popularity of "Giuseppina" derives from Napoleon's Empress Josephine [2]. So while the name may have existed in period, it was certainly not common.

If you are interested in considering other given names from your period, you might wish to consult Rhian Lyth's list of women's names from Renaissance Florence, which you can find at:

http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/italian.html

I hope this letter has been helpful. I'm sorry we can't provide a more definite answer to your question.

For the Academy,

Arval Benicoeur


References

[1] Guglielmo Ebreo of Pesaro, De Practica Seu Arte Tripudi, trans. Barbara Sparti (Oxford University Press, 1993, pages 18, 25-6, 35-6 and 41)

[2] De Felice, Emidio. dizionario dei nomi italiani. Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, Milan, 1992. (Entries for <Giuseppe>, <Josefine>.)