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Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel!
You asked whether the name <Severin Albrecht von Geist> was suitable for a German persona.
The name <Severin> had appeared in Switzerland by 1173-8 in its Latinized form <Severinus> and is found through the end of the SCA period (e.g., <Severin Wassman> 1523). [3, 4:25] Much the same is true of <Albrecht>: that spelling is found by 1256 and on through our period (e.g., <Albrecht Aelbrechtzs> 1575). [3, 4:28]
Most people in our period had only one given name. However, double given names appeared earlier in Germany than in most places, and by the 16th century they can be found in modest numbers. Some earlier examples of just this type are <Curte Esschwyn von Krosig> 1383-1403, <Nolte Nolte von Iggenhusen> 1431, <Quast Claus van Sannen> 1448, and <Peter Johan von Were> 1478. [4:47]
There may be a problem with <von Geist>, however. Although there is apparently a place called <Geist>, we haven't been able to verify that this was its name in period. [1] However, <Geist> by itself, that is, without the preposition, is definitely a period surname, as in <Martin Geist> 1569. If you prefer to keep the preposition, we suggest substituting the common place-name <Geisberg> for the questionable <Geist>; it is attested as a surname in 1477. [2]
In short, both <Severin Albrecht Geist> and <Severin Albrecht von
Geisberg> would be authentic late-period German names.
Nevertheless, the double given name would be a bit out of the
ordinary even in the 16th century. If you want a more typical period
name, you should drop one of the elements. <Severin Albrecht>,
<Severin Geist>, <Albrecht Geist>, <Severin von Geisberg>, and
<Albrecht von Geisberg> would all be more typical of period German
naming practice. They would also be suitable for any time from the
13th century through the end of the SCA period.
Arval Benicoeur also contributed to this letter; we hope that it has been of use and that you will write again if you have any further questions.
For the Academy,
Talan Gwynek
[1] Bahlow, Hans. _Deutsches Namenlexikon_ (Baden-Baden: Suhrkamp Taschenbuch Verlag, 1985).
[2] Brechenmacher, Josef Karlmann. _Etymologisches Woerterbuch der Deutschen Familiennamen_ (Limburg a. d. Lahn: C. A. Starke-Verlag, 1957-60).
[3] Socin, Adolf. _Mittelhochdeutsches Namenbuch nach Oberrheinischen Quellen des Zwoelften und Dreizehnten Jahrhunderts_ (Hildesheim: Georg Olms Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1966).
[4] Zoder, R. _Familiennamen in Ostfalen_. 2 vols. (Hildesheim: 1968).