ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 761 http://www.s-gabriel.org/761 *********************************** ************************************************* * * * NOTE: Some of the Academy's early reports * * contain errors that we haven't yet * * corrected. Please use it with caution. * * * ************************************************* From: "Brian M. Scott" 5 Apr 1998 Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel! You asked about as a name for a Scottish persona set somewhere in the period 850-1500. You also implied that you were interested in the etymology of , especially its first element, . is derived from a place-name meaning 'black stream', Gaelic . [7] Although the name is Gaelic in origin, it was probably not used in a byname until the coming of the Scoto-Normans in the 12th century. This is because bynames incorporating a place-name are extremely rare in Gaelic names, and the area around Douglas Water was well within the Gaelic cultural sphere in the 11th century. The first person known to have born this byname was , whose name was recorded between 1175 and 1199. He also appears as early in the 13th century, as does his son a bit later. Another early spelling is . [2] By the end of your period the preposition had disappeared, and the name, which by then was a hereditary surname, might have been spelled , , , , or , among others. [2] We don't have an actual example, but it seems likely from the attested forms that was also a possible spelling c.1500. In all of these forms, both the early and later ones, the name was pronounced \DOOV-glahs\ or \DOO-glahs\ The situation with the given name is more complicated. is an Old German form of a name that is also found in the Scandinavian languages as Old Danish , Old Swedish , and Old Norwegian . (The slash stands for an acute accent over the preceding vowel; {dh} represents the letter edh, which is further described in note [1].) Another Old German form, , gave rise to Old French ; both were taken to England by the Normans. [3, 6] There does not seem to have been a native Old English form of the name. (The in the Old English poem 'Beowulf' is the only pre-Conquest example. [4] But he was a Danish king, and appears to be an Old English adaptation of the actual Old Danish .) As an aside: The elements of this name, (H)ROD- and -GER don't really have meanings as parts of a personal name. However, they are related to old Germanic words for 'glory, praise' and 'spear', respectively. [5] What forms of the name might we reasonably expect to find in Scotland? and appear to have been introduced by the Normans in the 12th century. In England the spelling gave way to quite soon after the Conquest, but in Scotland it seems to have persisted throughout your period. [2] Thus, both and were in use in Scotland from the 12th century to the end of your period; they are fully compatible with the various forms of already described. , on the other hand, is not. While the Scandinavian forms of the given name may well have been in use in the Norse the communities in the Northern and Western Isles in the first half of your period, they would not have been used with the Scoto-Norman locative byname or its later forms. An authentic Scottish persona named would most probably have an entirely Scandinavian name like . To sum up, , , and would all be suitable for a 12th or 13th century Scoto-Norman persona. , , , , , and would all be suitable for a 15th century Lowland persona. (Scots is a language very closely related to English.) We have almost no 14th century examples of the byname but would expect to see a gradual transition from the early types with to the later one without. In all cases could be substituted for . Affric neyn Kenyeocht also contributed to this letter. We hope that it has been useful and that you will write again if you have any further questions. For the Academy, Talan Gwynek ===== Notes and References: [1] The letter 'edh', which is pronounced like the in modern English , is sometimes described as a 'crossed-d'. To form this letter, make an ordinary 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. [2] Black, George F. The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History (New York: The New York Public Library, 1986). [3] Danmarks Gamle Personnavne. I: Fornavne. G. Knudsen, M. Kristensen, & R. Hornby, eds. (Copenhagen, 1941-48). [4] Forssner, Thorvald. Continental-Germanic Personal Names in England in Old and Middle English Times (Uppsala: K.W. Appelbergs Boktryckeri, 1916). [5] Morlet, Marie-There\se. Les Noms de Personne sur le Territoire de l'Ancienne Gaule du VIe au XIIe Sie\cle, Vol. I (Paris: E/ditions du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 1968). (The backslash stands for an accent grave over the preceding vowel.) [6] Reaney, P.H. & R.M. Wilson. A Dictionary of English Surnames (London: Routledge, 1991). [7] Watson, William J. The History of the Celtic Place-Names of Scotland (London: William Blackwood & Sons Ltd., 1926).