ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 988 http://www.s-gabriel.org/988 *********************************** ************************************************* * * * NOTE: Some of the Academy's early reports * * contain errors that we haven't yet * * corrected. Please use it with caution. * * * ************************************************* From: "S Friedemann" 25 May 1998 Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked for help creating a surname based on to use with the English feminine name , which you wanted to use between 1400 and 1550. Here is the information we have found. is a form of , a woman's name that was in occasional use in England from the 12th century at least until the mid-15th century. This particular spelling may not be the best choice: It is only recorded as a metronymic (a byname based on the mother's name) and only in 1249, long before your period. The only spelling we found from your period is , recorded in 1450 [2, 3]. We found several late-period English surnames ultimately based on the first name . In England, that first name was usually spelled (and pronounced) or , and these are the most common English forms of the surname as well. The surname is also found, but it is less common [1, 4]. The spellings that we found before and in your period are [4] Michel, Michele, 1327, Mitchell, 1490 Michel 1205, 1219 Michelson, 1383 We therefore recommend that you consider the name , the most likely spelling for your period. We hope that this letter has been useful to you, and that you will not hesitate to write again if any part was unclear or if you have further questions. Research and commentary on this letter was provided by Arval Benicoeur, Elisabeth de Rossignol, Talan Gwynek, and Walraven van Nijmege. For the Academy, Arianuia filia Catmaili de Caer Mirdin -------------------------------------------- References: [1] Hitching, F.K. & S. Hitching, _References to English Surnames in 1601_ (Walton-on-Thames: Chas. A. Bernau, 1910). [2] Talan Gwynek, "Feminine Given Names in _A Dictionary of English Surnames_" (SCA: KWHS Proceedings, 1994; WWW: J. Mittleman, 1997). http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/reaney/ [3] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988). [4] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995).