Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 576

Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 576

This report is available at http://www.s-gabriel.org/576

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 S. Gabriel!

You indicated that you were interested in a Scottish Gaelic name and wondered whether the name <Kimberley> could be transformed into Gaelic. You also mentioned that you were interested in having a relatively uncommon name.

In the SCA period <Kimberley> was only a place-name; it was not used as a given name. It does contain a woman's name, however: it is from an Old English place-name meaning 'Cyneburg's lea', and <Cyneburg> was an Old English feminine name. [4] After the Norman Conquest the name became very rare, but it must have survived at least in Suffolk, where it is found as <Kinborough> in 1592 and <Kimberrow> in 1609. [5] We have no evidence that either the Old English name or its 16th century descendant was used in Scotland, and certainly neither is Gaelic. But since we found nothing else nearly as close to <Kimberley>, we thought that we should mention them. Both the Old English and the late-period forms of the name are unusual in the Society, each having been registered just once.

Period records of Gaelic feminine names used in Scotland are unfortunately pretty skimpy. Here are some that we know were used; following each is an approximate pronunciation. The first two are attested from the 16th century; the others are from the mid to late 13th century ([2] s.nn. Beathag, Sitheag, Dervorgilla, Forveleth, Porter).

Beathag \BAY-ahk\

Sitheag \SHEE-ahk\

Dearbhforgaill \DYAR-vor-gill\ (with a 'hard' <g> as in <girl>)

Forbhlaith \FOR-vleth\ (The <th> was probably still pronounced in 1271, but it eventually became silent, making the name \FOR-vla\.)

Suanach \SOO-an-ahkh\ (The <kh> represents the rasping sound of <ch> in German <ach> and Scottish <loch>.)

None of these names is common in the Society; indeed, it appears that none of them has yet been registered more than once.

Whatever given name you choose, you'll need a byname, a second name that further identifies you by distinguishing you from others who might have the same given name. By far the most common type of Gaelic byname is the patronymic, a name that identifies you as the daughter of your father. If, for instance, your father's name was <Lachlann> and yours was <Beathag>, you would probably be known as <Beathag inghean Lachlainn> 'Beathag daughter of Lachlann', pronounced roughly \BAY-ahkh NEE-yen LAHKH-lahn\ in the 16th century.

If you decide on a Gaelic name, we can help you find a patronymic if you can narrow the field a bit, perhaps by suggesting a preferred initial letter. Most given names undergo certain grammatical modifications when used as patronymics, and we can also help with those.

If you decide that you'd rather use <Kimborough> or its Old English ancestor, other types of byname would be appropriate. A 16th century Englishwoman named <Kimborough> would almost certainly have had an inherited surname. Her name would probably not look out of place name that probably still exists, though it may be spelled slightly differently. References [1] and [5], which are available in many libraries, are excellent sources of such period surnames. Be sure to look for 16th century versions of the surnames, however, to match the form of the given name.

A 10th-century Anglo-Saxon woman named <Cyneburg>, on the other hand, might have had a patronymic, as in <Cyneburg Godwiges dohtor> 'Cyneburg, Godwig's daughter', or she might have been known by her place of residence, as in <Cyneburg on Dentune> 'Cyneburg of Denton'. [3] She might also have had a descriptive nickname, like <{dh}eos hwite> 'the white'. (See note [6] for an explanation of {dh}.) If you decide that you like <Cyneburg>, we can help you develop a suitable byname if you give us some idea of what you're interested in.

Arval Benicoeur and Effric neyn Kenyeoch vc Ralte also contributed to this letter. We hope that it has been helpful and that we can continue to assist you.

For the Academy,

Talan Gwynek


[1] Bardsley, Charles Wareing, _A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames_ (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1967).

[2] Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History_ (New York: The New York Public Library, 1989).

[3] Clark, Cecily, 'Onomastics', in _The Cambridge History of the English Language_, Vol. I, Richard M. Hogg, ed. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992).

[4] Ekwall, Eilert, _The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names_, 4th ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989).

[5] Reaney, P.H. & R.M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991).

[6] Here {dh} represents the letter 'edh', which is pronounced like the <th> in modern English <they>. To form this letter, make an ordinary <d> with the ascender curled over a bit to the left, like a backwards <6>. Then make a small horizontal stroke through the curled-over ascender.