ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 993 http://www.s-gabriel.org/993 *********************************** ************************************************* * * * NOTE: Some of the Academy's early reports * * contain errors that we haven't yet * * corrected. Please use it with caution. * * * ************************************************* 26 May 1998 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked for information about , which you believe is a Spanish masculine name. Here is what we have found. We cannot find any evidence of as a Spanish name of any kind. We aren't sure whether you want to use it as a given name or surname; but we couldn't find anything like it in either category. The closest thing we did find is an Italian surname which apparently derives from "visage, face" or "ugly face", and may originally have been a nickname for a ugly-faced man [1]. Combined with an Italian given name, e.g. , it would be a reasonable late-medieval name. The word is pronounced \vih-SA-djee-oh\ 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 and Antonio Miguel Santos de Borja. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 26 May 1998 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Fucilla, Joseph G., _Our Italian Surnames_ (Evanston, IL: Chandlers' Inc., 1949), p.204. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -