Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 757

Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 757

This report is available at http://www.s-gabriel.org/757

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

Greetings,

Here's the information we found on the name "Alisoun," which you wanted to use as an Irish or English name from after 1450.

"Alisoun" is originally French; it's a diminutive of the name "Aliz." It was introduced into English by the Normans.

It appears that "Alisoun" is an uncommon spelling fom your period--our best source for English women's names from your period doesn't have it, although it does have the following: (1)

However, the spelling "Alisoun" is used for the main character in "The Miller's Tale" by Chaucer, which was written in the late 1300's. Thus, we think that "Alisoun" is a reasonable spelling for your period.

Since sound is a matter of taste, we aren't going to make specific suggestions about a last name. However, we can direct you to a couple of good sources for last names from your period. On the Web, there is the page

http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/brasses/

which includes hundreds of names from your period. The best book for English last names is the "Dictionary of English Surnames" by P.H. Reaney and E. Wilson. You should be able to find a name in these sources.

We hope this is helpful, and that we can continue to assist you.

In service,
Alan Fairfax
Academy of S. Gabriel

(1) http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/reaney/index_late.html