ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1468 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1468 ************************************ 14 Feb 1999 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked for proof that is an SCA-acceptable name. Here is what we have found. Before I start, I'd like to clarify the service that the Academy offers. We try to help Societyfolk in choosing and using names that fit the historical cultures they are trying to re-create. We do not label names "acceptable" or "unacceptable"; we just give an opinion on how authentic we believe they are. Our research can sometimes be used to support submissions to the College of Arms, but that it not our goal and our results are often incompatible with the College's needs. If your main goal is to register a particular name, then we may not be able to help you. was originally an English name; we have no evidence that it was used by real people before the late 16th century or outside England before the 17th. It was used by Shakespeare in his "King Lear", and was also the name of an English woman who died in 1636. It was probably adapted from the work of Geoffrey of Monmouth, a 12th century English historian who gave as the name of a daughter of the legendary King Lear of England [1]. There is another name, , which was used in period Germany. The name of a martyr mentioned in the legend of Saint Ursula, it was somewhat popular in Germany in the 16th century. It is sometimes confused with , but appears to be unrelated [1, 2]. , with an umlaut (two dots) over the 'u', is a fine German surname, most famously borne by the painter Albrecht Du:rer, who was born in Nu:rnberg in 1471 and lived until 1528 [3]. The second surname, , is entirely typical of late-period German names. The city of Augsburg is in the same region as Nu:rnberg, so the surname would probably not have been out-of-place there. Therefore, we can definitely recommend or as a fine 16th century German name. We're not sure whether it is correct to use both surnames this late in period. A woman might well have been described as , just as a modern woman might be ; but it isn't clear that the location was considered part of her name or just a further description. We 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 Aryanhwy merch Catmael and Talan Gwynek. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 14 Feb 1999 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988), s.n. Cordelia. [2] Bahlow, Hans, _Unsere Vornamen im Wandel der Jahrhunderte_, Vol. 4 in the series _Grundriss der Genealogie_ (Limburg a. d. Lahn: C. A. Starke Verlag, 1965). [3] "Du:rer, Albrecht" Britannica Online. [Accessed 03 February 1999]. http://www.eb.com:180/cgi-bin/g?DocF=micro/181/81.html