ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 963 http://www.s-gabriel.org/963 *********************************** ************************************************* * * * NOTE: Some of the Academy's early reports * * contain errors that we haven't yet * * corrected. Please use it with caution. * * * ************************************************* 13 May 1998 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked for information about , , or as given names for a 10th-to-16th century Irishman. Here is what we have found. There were forms of used in Ireland from the 12th century onward, but neither nor is a period Irish name. We could not find any evidence that was used as a name of any kind in period Ireland. In modern American naming, it is very occasionally used as a man's given name. This usage probably derived from the English surname [1], but not until long after our period. as a modern given name is usually a woman's name, probably derived from a late-period Swedish variant of [2]. was originally a Scottish family name derived from a place name. It came into use as a given name in Scotland and England in the late 16th century, but we found no evidence that it was used in Ireland [1, 3]. The late origin of the given name makes it unlikely that it could have been carried to Ireland before the end of our period. The name was carried to Ireland by the Anglo-Normans in the 12th century. It was quickly adopted into Gaelic in the form (which is pronounced pretty much the same as the English version) and remained in common use through the end of our period [4, 5, 6]. Among your three choices, we recommend that you use or the Gaelic form , since it was definitely used through much of your period. How you would build a complete name for your persona depends on exactly when you want to set your persona and how much English influence you want in your persona. For information on the formation of period Gaelic names, we suggest you read "Quick and Easy Gaelic Bynames", which is available on the web at: http://www.stanford.edu/~skrossa/medievalscotland/quick_gaelic_bynames.html I hope this letter has been useful. Please write us again if any part of it has been unclear or if you have other questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Talan Gwynek, Teceangl Bach, Walraven van Nijmegen, and Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 7 May 1998 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995), s.n. Bret, Douglas. [2] _Sveriges Medeltida Personnamn_, ha"fte 3 (Uppsala: 1967-. bd. 1, h. 3: isbn: 91-7192-123-8), s.n. Birgit. [3] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988), s.n. Douglas. [4] O/ Corra/in, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire, _Irish Names_ (Dublin: The Lilliput Press, 1990), s.n. Uilliam. [5] O/ Clerigh, Lughaidh, _Beatha Aodha Ruaidh Ui/ Dhomhnaill -- Life of Hugh Roe O'Donnell_ ed. Paul Walsh (Irish Texts Society, 1948). [6] Newport B. White, ed., _The Red Book of Ormond (From the Fourteenth-Century Original preserved at Kilkenny Castle, with missing portions supplied from the Fifteenth-Century Transcript in the Bodleian Library)_ (Dublin: The Stationery Office, 1932). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -