ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 864 http://www.s-gabriel.org/864 *********************************** ************************************************* * * * NOTE: Some of the Academy's early reports * * contain errors that we haven't yet * * corrected. Please use it with caution. * * * ************************************************* 19 Apr 1998 From: Jodi McMaster Greetings from the Academy of St. Gabriel! You asked for information regarding the name "Nencia Damiani di Bartolo" for an Italian woman in the 14th or 15th century. We have found four examples of the feminine given name "Nencia" in Florence in 1427. [1] We believe it is probably a pet name for "Lorenza." The name "Damiani" was also used in 1427 Florence as a surname (a family name like modern ones), originally indicating one's father's name was "Damiano." [1] "Bartolo" was a common man's name at the same time and place. Therefore, the combination of these names is a great choice. Italian names were constructed in many different ways in your period. The simplest form was a patronymic, which identified the person's father. For example "Nencia di Bartolo" is one way to say "Nencia, daughter of Bartolo". Sometimes a man's full name was used: "Nencia di Bartolo Damiani" ("Nencia, daughter of Bartolo Damiani"). Since your father could have been called "Damiano di Bartolo," it is even possible for you to be named "Nencia di Damiano di Bartolo." From the examples we've seen, we think that the exact form you asked about, "Nencia Damiani Di Bartolo," is unlikely. It doesn't fit any of the patterns we found. [3] We hope this letter has been helpful. Please write us again if any part of it has been unclear or if you have other questions. Talan Gwynek and Arval Benicoeur contributed comments and/or research to this letter. For the Academy, AElfwyn aet Gyrwum __________________ References: [1] _WWW Florentine Renaissance Resources: Online Castato of 1427_ (WWW: Brown University, Providence, R.I., 1996) at http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/catasto/overview.html [2] Ferrante la Volpe, _Men's names from Florence, 1427_ {WWW: Self-published, 1996) at http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/ferrante/catasto [3] Fucilla, Joseph G., _Our Italian Surnames_ (Evanston, IL: Chandlers' Inc., 1949).