Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 622

Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 622

This report is available at http://www.s-gabriel.org/622

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 said that you had settled on the byname <ffraser> and were looking for a suitable given name for a Norman in the period 1150-1200.

<ffraser> seems to be a specifically Scottish development of an occupational byname from Old French <fresel> 'lace, ribbon'. In Scotland it is found as early as c.1160, but we did not find it in medieval England at all. [1, 3, 4, 6] A given name known to have been used by the Anglo-Normans in Scotland would therefore be most appropriate.

In all likelihood the most common Anglo-Norman names in Scotland were much the same as the most common ones in England. For Essex in the period 1182-1272 these were William, John, Robert, Richard, Roger, Ralf, Thomas, Henry, Geoffrey, Walter, Hugh, Gilbert, Peter, Adam, Simon, and Nicholas. In a 12th century record, however, they would almost certainly have been Latinized. [5] There was some variation in the Latin forms, but the following, listed in the same order, are or <Richardus>; <Rogerus> or <Rogerius>; <Radulfus>; <Thomas>; <Henricus>; <Galfridus> or <Gaufridus>; <Walterus> or <Galterus>; <Hugo>; <Gilbertus>; <Petrus>; and <Adam>.

The names listed in the last paragraph were common among Anglo-Normans generally. The following names, on the other hand, were not necessarily common, but they are known to have occurred in Scotland in the 12th or very early 13th century in an Anglo-Norman context. [3] (Many of these have probably been 'de-Latinized' by dropping a final <-us>.)

Audoenus
Everard
Fulco
Gilo
Helias
Ingelram
Jordan
Milo
Odenellus or Odinellus
Olyver
Reinnald
Rodlannus, Rothland, or Roland
Saher, Seiher, Seyr
Serlo [a characteristically Norman name] Siluester
Simund
Steffan
Tebaldus or Teodbold
Tristram or Trestram
Turstan
Waldef, Waldoev, or Wallef
Walkelyn

You mentioned that <Iamys> doesn't really fit your persona. In this you are undoubtedly right. <Iamys> is a northern form of <James>, a name that first appears in England in the early 13th century and in Scotland perhaps a little later. [2, 7] As a northern form it would go well with <ffraser>, but not in the 12th century. If your persona lived 200 years later, say, <Iamys ffraser> would be excellent.

One final note: the <ff> in <ffraser> is really a misunderstanding of an old form of upper-case <f>; the letter really does look very much like a pair of lower-case <f>s and can certainly be so represented in print.

Affrica neyn Ken3ocht and Arval Benicoeur also contributed to this letter. We hope that it has been of use; please write us again if you have any other questions.

For the Academy,

Talan Gwynek


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

[2] Barrow, G. W. S., _Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland_, Second ed. (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1976).

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

[4] Dauzat, Albert, _Dictionnaire Etymologique des Noms de Famille et Prenoms de France_ (Paris: Librairie Larousse, 1989).

[5] Nicolaa de Bracton, 'A Statistical Survey of Given Names in Essex Co., England, 1182-1272', in the 1995 Middle Kingdom Heraldic Proceedings.

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

[7] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_ (Oxford: At the University Press, 1984).