|
Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel!
You asked for our opinion of the name "Bernajoux du Lac" and for
documentation of the name "Bernadou". Here's what we've found.
Dauzat cites "Bernadou" as a modern French surname [1, p.38]. From his
discussion here and elsewhere [2, p.289], we conclude that this surname
derived from a southern-French nickname for "Bernard". While we cannot
date this form as a given name, we think it is very likely that it was used
in the 14th through 16th centuries, since that it the period when most
modern French surnames were formed.
Similar nicknames gave rise to other surnames in the same region of France.
Dauzat discusses the use of "-ou" as a diminutive ending, and mentions
these examples [2, pp.289 & 118-127]:
Dalidou (Ade/laide)
Ricardou (Richard)
Catherou (Catherine)
Gillou (Gilles)
Gasparou (Gaspar)
Jeandillou (a double diminutive of "Jean")
Girou (Giraud)
All of these examples are modern surnames, rather than pre-1600 given
names, but Dauzat's discussion implies that they derive from given name
forms.
We could find no support for the name "Bernajoux". In previous discussion
on the Rialto (rec.org.sca, 31 March 1997), the gentle posted that he had
originally found it as the name of a minor character in "The Three
Musketeers", and thought it might derive from "Bernard". Unfortunately,
this 19th century book is not a good guide to pre-1600 naming practice. We
have found no evidence of "d" replaced by "j" in French names, and no
examples of names that end "-joux".
"du Lac" is a very common period French surname. It is appropriate for any
part of our period from the 12th century onward. Therefore, we recommend
that the gentle use the name "Bernadou du Lac", and set his persona in
southern France, sometime in the last three centuries of our period.
I hope this letter has been helpful.
For the Academy,
Arval Benicoeur
References
[1] Albert Dauzat, "Dictionnaire Etymologique des noms de Familles et des
prenoms de France" (Paris: Larousse, 1987), p.38.
[2] Albert Dauzat, Les Noms de Familles de France, (Paris: Guenegaud, 1988)