ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1303 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1303 ************************************ From: Spence Mabry 2 Nov 1998 Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked for advice on a late 13th to early 15th century name for a French-speaking Flemish man called . This is what our research uncovered. We found examples of in Paris in 1292, in Picardy (northwestern France) in the 14th or 15th century, and in Flanders in the 15th century. In Flanders in the 15th century, we also find , the Dutch spelling of this name. At this time, Flanders was more or less under the control of the French crown, so anything that would have been reasonable in France would also be reasonable in Flanders. [1,2,3] We didn't find any name that meant "tender heart", nor any period French surname based on any word meaning "tender". That's a rather abstract concept. Period descriptive surnames tended to be more concrete, so we think that "tender heart" is an unlikely period name. We did find some names with similar meanings: Boncoeur "good hearted, courageous" Coeurjoly "happy heart" [4] Paixdecoeur "peace of heart" [7] These are late-period spellings. Earlier in period, up to the 13th or early 14th century, the word was spelled . So, for example, the name which is recorded in 16th century Normandy [7] might have been or in 13th century French. We found as a modern French surname, but we also found English examples 1229, 1257, 1298, 1264 [5,6], which demonstrates that the name was used in Anglo-Norman and suggests that similar forms were used in Old French, possibly or "with the good heart, courageous". If none of these choices appeals to you, we found some other surnames based on the word "heart" ( in Old French). Let us know if you'd like us to send you a list. In summary, for a late 13th century Frenchman who could be living in Flanders, the following names would be appropriate: Guillaume Boncuer Guillaume au Bon Cuer Guillaume Pais de cuer Guillaume Paisdecuer For a 15th century Frenchman living in Flanders, the following names would be appropriate: Guillaume Boncoeur Guillaume Paixdecoeur 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 Arval d'Espas Nord, Talan Gwynek and Walraven van Nijmegen. For the Academy, Ceatta o Gulcleth 2 Novmeber 1998 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References: [1] Luana de Grood, "Flemish Names from Bruges, 1400-1600" (WWW: Alan Terlep, 1996) http://www.itd.umich.edu/~ximenez/s.gabriel/docs/bruges/ [2] Colm Dubh, "An Index to the Given Names in the 1292 Census of Paris" (WWW: SCA, Inc., 1997) http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/paris.html [3] Morlet, Marie-Therese, _Etude d'anthroponymie picarde, les noms de personne en Haute Picardie aux XIIIe, XIVe, XVe siecles_ (Amiens, Musee de Picardie, 1967; p. 19). [4] Morlet, Marie-Therese, _Dictionnaire E/tymologique des Noms de Famille_ (Librairie Acade/mique Perrin, 1997). [5] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995), s.n. Bunker. [6] Jo:nsjo:, Jan, _Studies on Middle English Nicknames_, v.1 Compounds (CWK Gleerup, date unknown). [7] Cateline de la Mor, "Sixteenth Century Norman Names" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1997) http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/cateline/norman16.html