ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 883
http://www.s-gabriel.org/883
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* NOTE: Some of the Academy's early reports     *
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Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel!

You asked about the name <Emmeric Silverhelm> as a possible masculine
English name between 1100 and 1300.  Here is the information we have found.
We find <Emeric> with one 'm' in 1273, and <Emericus> throughout your
period. [1,2]  Only a few of the <Em-> names that we found show an m/mm
variation in period.  [3] This variation seems possible, though not terribly
likely.

<Silverhelm> is a bit more problematic.  The first element is not uncommon
in Middle English nicknames, as we see in <Silvertop> 1478, and <Silverloc>
1268, both of which mean "grey haired." [3]  However, while the word <helm>
was used in this period, we did not find any English surnames with a
compound of <-helm>.

We found various examples of English descriptive bynames which referred to
clothing and included a color adjective: <Whithode> 1316 "white hood,"
<Whytebrok> 1338 "white breech or trousers," <Blakehod> 1312, <Blakhat>
1327, <Blakmantel> 1324, <Blaunchcote> 1294, 1300 "white coat," <Redehose>
1332 "red hose," <Redesleue> 1357 "red sleeve."

While we think that <Silverhelm> is not a plausible byname for your period,
we can recommend the alternatives <Whithode>, <Whithat>, or <Silvertop>.
<Emeric Silvertop> would be a fine name for your period, and would be
recorded in Latin as <Emericus Silvertop>.

We hope that this letter has been useful to you.  Please write us again if
any part of it has been unclear, or if you have any other questions.
Research and commentary on this letter was provided by Arval Benicoeur and
Talan Gywnek.

For the Academy,
Aryanhwy Prytydes merch Catmael Caermyrdin

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References:

[1] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_,
3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988).

[2] Forssner, Thorvald, Continental-Germanic Personal Names in England in
Old and Middle English Times (Uppsala: K.W. Appelbergs Boktryckeri, 1916).

[3] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_
(London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995).