ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1851
http://www.s-gabriel.org/1851
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From: 
31 Dec 1999

Greetings from the Academy of St. Gabriel!
 
You wrote to us asking whether <Constance of White Birch> would be 
an appropriate name for an English woman between 1100 and 1450.
Here's what we've found about the names you're interested in:
 
<Constance> was introduced into England during the Norman conquest
and became a commonly used name. It appears in English sources in
various spellings, with <Custance>, recorded in 1273 and 1379 apparently 
being the most commonly used in your period. It is also recorded as 
<Constancia> in 1199 and 1346, <Custancia>, 1199, and <Custans>, 
1379. Your spelling, <Constance>, is recorded in the thirteenth century. (1)
 
We were not able to find a reference to <White Birch> being used as
a byname or place name in England. There are, however, a number of
English bynames that use the word "birch" as an element. They include:
 
<de la Birche> (1184) 
<de Birches> (1246)
<atte Birche> (1275)
<del Birche> (1275)
<Birch> (1275)
<de la Burch> (1275)
<Burch> (1309)
<in le Byrchez> (1332) (2)
 
If you prefer to use a byname which incorporates the word "white",
there are a number of English names containing this element. 
<Whitewood> which appears during the period you are interested in 
as <de Whitewude>, (1197) and <of Whytewode>, (1276) is one possible 
example. (3)
 
To sum up, <Constance> is a fine name for your entire period, though
<Custance> is probably the most appropriate spelling.  Combining it 
with one of the bynames we've suggested would produce a fine English 
name.
 
I hope this letter has been useful to you. If it is unclear in any way, 
or if you have any further questions, please contact the Academy
again and we will do our best to assist you. I was assisted in the
research and writing of this letter by Tangwystyl verch Morgant
Glasvryn, Maridonna Benvenuti, Talan Gwynek, Barak Raz and Arval 
Benicoeur.
 
For the Academy, Raquel Buenaventura
 
(1) Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian
      Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1988) s.n.
      Constance
 
(2)  Reaney, P.H., & R.M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_,
       (London, Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995) s.n.
       Birch
 
(3)  Smith, A.H., _English Place-Name Elements_, (Cambridge,
        University Press, 1956) s.n. Whitewood