ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2815 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2815 ************************************ 25 Jan 2004 From: Aryanhwy merch Catmael Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel! You wanted to know if or , meaning 'faerie' or 'the fey', would be an appropriate name for a woman living before 1600, in any culture. Here is a brief letter with the information we have found. The given name appears to be modern; the first instance we found is from the 1890's. It may have been an abbreviation of , or from the word 'fairy'. [1] There is an English byname (surname) that derives from the Old French 'fairy': , recorded in 1332. [2] We have not found any instance of , in this spelling, used as a name. , unrelated to the word , was first used as a given name in England after the Reformation, and in the 16th and 17th centuries, it was used for boys as well as girls. [1] It was also spelled . [3] Therefore, we can recommend or as a given name for an Englishwoman in the 16th century, or as a byname for an Englishwoman in the 14th century. If you are interested in either of these possibilities, we also recommend the following articles: "Faire Names for English Folk: Late Sixteenth Century English Names" http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/christian/fairnames/ for information on 16th century surnames "Feminine Given Names in _A Dictionary of English Surnames_" http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/talan/reaney/ for information on 14th century given names We hope that this brief letter has been useful to you, and that you won't hesitate to write us again if any part was unclear or you have further questions. Research and commentary on this letter was provided by Arval Benicoeur, Juliana de Luna, and Julie Stampnitzky. For the Academy, -Aryanhwy merch Catmael, 25Jan04 -- References: [1] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988). s.nn. Faith, Fay [2] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995). s.n. Fay [3] Mari Elspeth nic Bryan, "Given Names in Chesham, 1538-1600/1" (WWW: Academy of Saint Gabriel, 1999). http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/mari/chesham/