ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 3226 http://www.s-gabriel.org/3226 ************************************ 19 Dec 2006 From: Aryanhwy merch Catmael Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel! You asked for help creating an authentic name for a Norman or Saxon living before 1300 with , , or as your given name, and , , or (meaning 'the bear') as your byname. Here is what we have found. Well within the first century after the Norman Conquest, we find the Saxons adopting Continental names in very large numbers. By the 13th century, the Saxons and Normans in England were both using the same given names and the same types of bynames, and so the names that we recommend are appropriate for men of either Saxon or Norman descent. is a fine choice for your name. The name was not common during the Middle Ages, but in the 12th century, we find the spelling , as well as a man named in 1166 (his father was probably named ). [5] We also found a reference to find one 'Caterina daughter of Benjamin' in 1273. [6] During your period, and were variants of the same letter, but in general, was more common than when the letter occurred internally within a word (as opposed to being the first or last letter). This example of may be one where the editor of the source changed the medieval form to the more familiar modern form . In any case, we recommend as the most suitable spelling for your period. is a Latinized form of , which was most commonly spelled in your period: [3,4] Artur(us), 1086 Artur, 1212, 1189-1213 Arthurus, 1189-1213, 1273 Geoffrey Artur, 1135 Adam Arthur, 1246 The last two examples are likely patronymic, meaning they indicate someone's father; the man named was almost certainly the son of a man named . , like , is a Latinized form. Both are appropriate only in Latin contexts, such as written records; in everyday speech, the name was either or . There is an English byname , recorded as in 1209 and as in 1269, but it does not literally mean 'bear'. Its exact origin isn't clear, but there's very little doubt that it derives either from Old French or Middle Dutch , both meaning 'brown'. [1,7,10] The byname would be a fine choice for an Englishman living in the 13th century, but it doesn't have the meaning you desire. If you prefer a byname which means 'bear', then we can recommend two alternatives: , recorded in 1166, and , recorded in 1296. [2] In sum, is a fine name for a 13th-century man of either Saxon or Norman descent. Many other combinations, such as , , , etc., are also all authentic choices. We hope that this letter has been useful to you and that you won't hesitate to write us again if any part was unclear or if you have further questions. Research and commentary on this letter was provided by Ursula Georges, Maridonna Benvenuti, Eleyne de Comnocke, Talan Gwynek, and Florens van Flardingh. For the Academy, -Aryanhwy merch Catmael, 19 December 2006 -- References: [1] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995), s.n. Bruin [2] ibid., s.n. Bear [3] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988), s.n. Arthur. [4] Reaney & Wilson, op. cit., s.n. Arthur [5] ibid., s.n. Benjamin [6] Bardsley, Charles, _A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames_ (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1980), s.n. Benjamin [7] is the modern Dutch form of the word which was spelled or in Middle Dutch. [8.9] [8] van Sterkenburg, P.G.J., _Van Dale handwoordenboek van hedendaags Nederlands_ (Utrecht: Van Dale Lexicografie, 1988). [9] _CD-ROM Middelnederlands_, (Rotterdam: AND Publishing Technology, 1998). [10] However, words for 'brown' were closely associated with bears in the Middle Ages. When the bear in the medieval tales of Reynard the Fox is given a name, it is 'brown': and 'Mr. Brown' in a 13th century Dutch version, Latinized in a 12th century Latin version, and in French. The tales were popular in England as well as on the Continent, so it is not absolutely out of the question that this byname had 'bearish' overtones in the 13th century. [11,12,13,14] [11] Oxford English Dictionary, online, s.v. Bruin http://www.oed.com [12] Janssens, J., R. van Daele, V. Uyttersprot, eds., "Van den vos Reynaerde" (WWW: DBNL.nl, 2001) http://www.dbnl.nl/tekst/_vos001vosr01_01/index.htm [13] "Reynard" (WWW: Wikipedia.org, 01 Dec 2006) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reynard [14] "Roman de Renart" (WWW: Wikipedia.org, 06 Dec 2006) http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_de_Renart