Period or Not?

[lumineaux]

The answers to our first round of Period or Not are:

Fiona - Not.  It was invented in the 19th century by Scottish author William Sharp (1855-1905).  This is one of many things on my list of The Victorians Have A Lot To Answer For.    See the article on "Fiona" from the Problem Names Project here:  http://www.medievalscotland.org/problem/names/fiona.shtml

Miriel - Period.  It can be documented to 13th century England.  See the on-line article  "Feminine Given Names in A Dictionary of English Surnames" by Brian Scott (http://heraldry.sca.org/laurel/reaneyintro.html)  under the heading "Muriel"

Aislinn - Not.  Another pseudo-period name created by the Victorians.  See the article on "Aislinn" from the Problem Names Project here:  http://www.medievalscotland.org/problem/names/aislinn.shtml

Vienna - Period.  It can be documeted to 16th century Italy.  See the on-line article "Names from Sixteenth Century Venice," by Julia Smith (http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/juliana/16thcvenice.html) in the section on names of Venetian Women before 1600.


Violet - Period.  It can be documented to 16th and early 17th century Scotland (lowlands, that is).  See the on-line article "A List of Feminine Personal Names Found in Scottish Records" by Brian Scott (http://heraldry.sca.org/laurel/names/scottishfem.html) in the Post-1400 section.


So, did people find this fun or vaguely educational?

Comments

[lanome.livejournal.com]

Definitely educational. I'm curious how and where you find the sources for these things, though, especially for the ones that aren't period.

[lumineaux.livejournal.com]

Several years ago, a group of heralds got together and did something called the Problem Names Project:

The Problem Names Project
Some names that many people think of as common to the Middle Ages or Renaissance are either purely modern or otherwise problematic. For example, some names which were used in one medieval culture are now mistakenly believed to have been used in others. Other medieval names are mispronounced, or thought to be feminine names when they were only masculine. If there are common misconceptions about the pre-1600 use of a name, it may be a "Problem Name". Pointing out these misconceptions is the purpose of the Problem Names Project of the Academy of S. Gabriel. It currently includes a couple dozen articles on specific names that are commonly misused by re-creationists. We're working on articles on other types of common mistakes, too.

You can find the project here: (http://www.medievalscotland.org/problem/)

There's also all of the published decisions from the College of Arms on names.

[lanome.livejournal.com]

Neat. Thanks!

[ldykatrina.livejournal.com]

I know several Fiona's that play in the SCA.
And one Aislinn.

[lumineaux.livejournal.com]

There was a time when the SCA would register what were called "SCA-compatible names" - i.e., the names that everyone thinks are period, but aren't. They did this in older days when the research on medieval naming was much less well developed. As of 2009, such names are not being registered any more, barring actual documentation of their use. We have much better research data than we used to have.

The good news is that some of this research data support names that were previously only "SCA compatible." But unfortunately for those Fionas and Aislinns, those names are still not period.

[anastasiav.livejournal.com]

But unfortunately for those Fionas and Aislinns, those names are still not period.

I know one Fiona in the SCA, but its also her given modern name, so that gives her a pass, I think.

[lumineaux.livejournal.com]

Mundane names always get a pass.

[evilnicola.livejournal.com]

It'd be cool if when you post the answers, you could post a link to where to fin that documentation, if one exists. I'm not heraldy enough to guess, but seeing where to find the answers in educational and interesting.

[lumineaux.livejournal.com]

All of the documentation is in the answers to my initial post, but repeating it here is a good idea.

[valkyrie1972.livejournal.com]

Very helpful! Thank You :)

[bds-duncan.livejournal.com]

Definitely educational, particularly with the links to the sources and the explanation of the whys and wherefores.

Probably won't cut down on the number of folk who will still try to register something 'kewl' because someone registered it 20+ years ago, but it does explain a lot.

[janeelliot.livejournal.com]

I know my name isn't period, but I just hate the idea of changing it this late in the game.