Name Precedents of the SCA College of Arms

The Tenure of Elsbeth Anne Roth

This is a collection of armory precedents from the tenure of Dame Elsbeth Anne Roth as Laurel Queen of Arms from June 1999 through July 2001. Most name rulings from April 2000 were made by Pietari Pentinpoika Uv, Pelican King of Arms. The choice of what was included was the editor's. I have chosen to include some items not generally considered "precedents" as they simply reapply existing precedents. This has been done to (hopefully) make it easier to find a relevant ruling to support things that "everyone knows". The official – and complete – rulings appear in the relevant LoARs and Cover Letters.

I have tried to follow the categories established in the previous precedents. At the end of the precedents, just before the Index, you will find a CONFLICT TABLE that summarizes which names do and do not conflict. The complete rulings are found under CONFLICT - Personal Names. The category COMPATIIBLE (SCA) is organized alphabetcally; all other categories are organized in reverse chronological order.

The texts listed are taken directly from Letters of Acceptance and Return (LoAR), or from the accompanying cover letters (CL). Ellipses (...) are used to indicate deleted text. The source of the text is cited at the end in square parentheses, by submitter’s name, date of the LoAR, and the location within the LoAR. Since so many people are using the electronic versions of the LoAR page numbers are not included. Instead the location is indicated as either acceptances (A) or returns (R) and the kingdom. Those texts excepted from a cover letter are cited by the date of the cover letter and "CL". Editorial comments are in italics within square brackets.

The following heralds are referred to by title in these precedents: al-Jamal (Da'ud ibn Auda), Argent Snail (Jaelle of Armida), Bordure (Mari Elspeth nic Bryan), Brachet (Frederick of Holland), Crescent (Madawc Seumus Caradawg), Kraken (Evan da Collaureo), Metron Ariston (Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane), Orle (Mari Elspeth nic Bryan), Pennon (Cuhelyn Cam vap Morcant), and Pillar (Yin Mei Li).

I wish to thank Jaelle of Armida for her help in proof-reading these pages.

In service,
Jeanne Marie Lacroix
Crescent Principal Herald
mka Martha L. Ranc

Table of Contents (Names)

ADMINSTRATIVE
ARABIC
BRANCH
BYNAMES
CHINESE
COMPATIBLE (Languages)
COMPATIIBLE (SCA)
CONFLICT - Other Names
CONFLICT - Personal Names see also CONFLICT TABLE
DANISH
DEITY
DOCUMENTATION
DUTCH
ENGLISH
FINNISH
FRENCH
GERMAN
GRAMMAR
Heraldic Titles see TITLES
HOUSEHOLD
HUNGARIAN
Iberian see SPANISH and PORTUGUESE
INDIAN
IRISH and SCOTTISH
ITALIAN
JAPANESE
LATIN
LEGAL NAME ALLOWANCE
LOCATIVES and PLACE NAMES
Matronymic see PATRONYMIC and MATRONYMIC
MONGOL
Mundane Name Allowancesee LEGAL NAME ALLOWANCE
NORSE
ORDERS and AWARDS
PATRONYMIC and MATRONYMIC
POLISH
Portuguese see SPANISH and PORTUGUESE
PRESUMPTION
ROMANY
RUSSIAN
Scottish see IRISH and SCOTTISH
SPANISH and PORTUGUESE
SPELLING VARIANTS
TITLES
TURKISH
WEIRDNESS
WELSH

ADMINSITRATIVE

There has recently been some discussion about summarising name documentation in LoI entries. This started with some items which had as the summary a S. Gabriel client number and the names of the people who had worked on it. This caused some relatively harsh criticism.

I'm afraid I have to agree with the critics. Section V.B.2.d of the Administrative Handbook states that a "summary of all supporting evidence provided for the submission must be included on the letter of intent". Now, a "summary" like the one that started this discussion is essentially similar to saying simply "the name is found in Withycombe", without mentioning what Withycombe writes about the name. Both these "summaries" may fulfill the letter of the rule (although even that can be doubted) but they most certainly don't fulfill the intent, which is to make sure that each commenting member of the College can judge the merits of the documentation.

Granted, the Academy of Saint Gabriel has its letters publicly available on the Web. Also, their work is excellent, although the goals are not quite the same as those of the College of Arms. We have recently renewed the agreement whereby the letters of the Academy are accepted as documentation, so that a copy of the letter is sufficient without attaching copies of the sources cited.

All this, however, does not mean that the client number is a sufficient summary of the documentation. Immediate and affordable net access is something we neither do nor can require from commenting members of the College; for instance, the default method for distributing letters is by regular mail and people have to specifically request e-mail commentary. However, this is in fact beside the point: even if everyone had such access we would still need a summary, just like we need a summary when a name is documented from the reference works listed in Appendix H of the Administrative Handbook.

Starting with the July 2000 LoI's we are going to tighten our interpretation of V.B.2.d. so that items that don't have a proper summary of supporting evidence may be returned instead of pended. Blatant cases (such as "<name> is Saint Gabriel Client #1234", or "<name> is Irish" or "<name> is in Withycombe") will be returned unless the College of Arms is able to provide appropriate supporting evidence in its commentary.

If you are unsure about how to properly summarise name documentation, help is available. One possibility, at least for the majority who have e-mail access, is the submission heralds mailing list <SCASubmissionHeralds@onelist.com>; another possibility is to ask either Laurel or myself. Asking for help is no reason to be ashamed; on the contrary, knowing when to ask for help is a major part of the skills needed for any serious office. [04/00, CL]

The submission consists of the given names, in order, of the submitter. As this is one of the possible common use names, we have to return this submission for conflict against the submitter herself, protected under section III.A.9 of the Administrative Handbook. [Mary Amanda, 09/00, R-Artemisia]

[Torna, Canton of] The name is a 14th century form of the name of the real-world town within the Canton. Submitting it for the name of the canton raises the question of how we treat period forms of real-world names of SCA branches.

All in all, we can see three different reasons to return a name of this sort. First, of course, the submitted name may be well enough known to be protected under section III.A.5 of the Administrative Handbook. Thus, for instance, we would not register Birka, either to a group forming near the old site in Sweden or to anyone else. The submitted name does not appear in general encyclopaedias, like the Encyclopaedia Britannica, so by current practice it is not important enough to protect.

Second, the submitted name may be presumptuous. Granted, section VI.3 of the Rules for Submissions addresses only names that unmistakably imply identity with or close relationship to a protected person or literary character. However, it seems appropriate to apply similar standards to personal and non-personal names, and Section VI.4 gives us enough discretion to do so. We would, therefore, return names that unmistakably imply identity with a protected place: for instance, while Londinium does not have its own article in the Encyclopaedia Britannica, London is protected and so registering the Roman name for the city would be presumptuous. In the current case, the modern town does not have its own entry in Britannica and the submission is thus clear on this count as well.

Third, the name may run afoul of section III.A.9 of the Administrative Handbook: No name or device will be registered to a submitter if it is identical to a name or device used by the submitter for purposes of identification outside of a Society context. Thus, in the present case, we would not have registered Tornio or Torneå, those being the currently used names for the town. The submitted name differs from each of these by one syllable, and that is generally considered sufficient difference for personal names. Again, we see no point in treating place names differently. [Torna, Canton of, 06/01, A-Drachenwald]

ARABIC

Both 'Inan and Nihlah are Arabic feminine given names, but there is no evidence that Arabic names were formed of two given names. As they did not use metronymics we could not fix this by making the second name a metronymic. ['Inan Nihlah, 02/00, R-Atenveldt]

The standard transliteration for a byname of an Arab man from Seville would be al-Ishbili; a transliteration using x seems odd. Moreover, al-Ixbily has an i and a y for the same sound. This kind of mixing transliteration systems within a single name has been grounds for a return in the past. [Tahira bint Ibrahim al-Ixbily, 06/00, R-East]

The byname as submitted has serious problems. Nur appears to be a modern given name (in use, for instance, by the current Queen Mother of Jordan), but we could not find evidence of its use as a period byname. Also, Salahuddin Ahmed's A Dictionary of Muslim Names, notes that al-Noor 'the Light' is one of the names of Allah, so the name appears to be presumptuous as well. [Naadira an-Noor, 07/00, R-Meridies]

Submitted as Sabah ibn Qadir al Tar, there was a problem with the byname al Tar. To quote al-Jamal,

Tar, on the other hand, is more problematical. First, "the string" does not follow the pattern of "inanimate objects used as descriptive epithets" cited. These included "the rose", "the raisin", and "the onion". All these are plants or plant parts. The string does not even come close. Second, tar in Arabic is "revenge" or "to fly" (Jaschke's English-Arabic Conversational Dictionary, p. 365). "String" in Persian is risman (Lambton's Persian Vocabulary, p. 367). [Sabah ibn Qadir, 08/00, A-Meridies]

Submitted on the LoI in this form, Cali seems to be a misreading of 'Ali. Even so, the documentation of this name had several problems, and while none of them would in itself be grounds for return, the combination is not registerable.

Using the kunya of one's father as a part of the name, such as Abi 'Ali here, seems to have been rare enough to be considered a weirdness, at least when followed by father's 'ism, in this case Mahmud.

Mahmud itself is a Turkish form of Muhammad, unattested in an Arabic context. While registerable as a part of an Arabic name it is also a weirdness.

Finally, al-Mufassir is essentially an occupational byname. As such it should normally appear either as the final element or right before the final element. Its position at the beginning of the name is a weirdness as well. [Al-Mufassir Ibrahim ibn Abi Cali Mahmud Al-Fatimi, 06/01, R-Ealdoremere]

BRANCH
see also HOUSEHOLD
see also ORDERS and AWARDS

[The Royal University of Meridies] With the exception of the University of Atlantia, registered in 1982, and the Royal University of Ithraall examples of universities are listed as references, not registered names. Therefore, we consider the name to be generic and thus not needing registration. [Meridies, Kingdom of, 01/00, R-Meridies]

While the forms did not include the designator Canton, the petition did. The element -port in this case can be a designator (although Corpora (V.C) then requires the group to be a military institution), or it can be a more integral part of the name similar to -ton. [Canton of Kennasport, 02/00, R-Middle]

[Valley of the Three Walls] The canton justified the construction Valley of the <number> <object> with three examples: Avenue of a Hundred Fountains (in Italy), the Valley of Five Polish Lakes, and the Valley of the Seven Castles (in Luxumbourg). None of the examples, however, are English, one is a street, and the others lack evidence that the names were used for these places in period (given that the places are not in England the period names are definitely not the ones given, although the given forms may be reasonable translations of the period place name). No one else was able to justify Valley as an element in an English place name. [Three Walls, Valley of the, 02/00, R-Middle]

Precedence bars the use of Phoenix in English in SCA group names. The return of the name Coombe Phoenix (March 1998) says -- The evidence that medieval English people were familiar with the legendary phoenix is not relevant unless one can demonstrate a pattern that they named places after legendary monsters. There are cultures where such a pattern might be demonstrated – Germany seems to be fairly prone to such things – but not for England...Therefore, barring evidence that Phoenix was used in English place-names, or at least that mythological animals were used, it cannot be used in English in SCA group names. [Phoenix River, Shire of, 03/00, R-Meridies]

[Dún na Laoich Ór] The name, meaning 'Fortress of the Golden Warriors,' isn't very plausible as a period Scots or Irish place name. Metron Ariston notes that the vast majority of place names beginning in Dun seem to be descriptive in nature, referring to a salient feature of the fort (e.g., its color or location). In a lesser number of cases, the Dun is combined with the name of an individual associated with the fort in history or legend. Relatively rare are names like Dumbarton deriving from groups of people (in this case from Dun Breatuin or Fort of the Britains) and even there we could not find any that do not use a proper noun. [Dún na Laoich Ór, Stronghold of, 05/00, R-An Tir]

Submitted as Mædshire , the name changed languages (from Old English to English) within a single word. We have made the name entirely Old English. [Mædscir, 05/00, A-Outlands]

We have traditionally been somewhat more lenient with names from cultures for which we don't have adequate reference works, and we see no reason to change this policy. However, it does not mean that one can in such cases simply look up random words in a dictionary. At the very least we would expect the submitters to show, first, that the name is grammatically correct and, second, that similar constructions exist somewhere else. These examples of similar names would ideally be from nearby cultures. [Vilku Urvas, Shire of, 09/00, R-Middle]

BYNAMES

There was no documentation indicating that a byname which is possibly justifiable in Middle English could be used for a Latin byname. [Andronicus Ursacor, 07/99, R-Atenveldt]

[Corwynn the Lost] Although names of the form X the Lost has been registered in the past, English bynames were not formed from adjectival past participles, and previous Laurels have been returning names for that reason. Da'ud ibn Auda, in the September, 1994 LoAR, wrote: "[Modifying ‘the Brown-eyed'] English bynames were not formed from adjectival past participles. We have substituted the documented form." Given that the name already has a weirdness with the use of Corwynn, which is undocumented but SCA compatible, we are not willing to give the byname the benefit of the doubt. The name must be returned barring documentation that such bynames were found. [Corwynn the Lost, 07/99, R-Atenveldt]

The letter of intent justified gamesmen as a "modernized singular form" of gememen. While we do accept modern English forms of bynames through the lingua anglica rule, the documentation given lists the modern form as game-man. [Wolfgang the Gamesman, 11/99, R-Atlantia]

Submitted as Catalina del Sol de Oro, no evidence was given, and none could be found, to show that "of the Golden Sun" is a valid byname in Spanish. The letter of intent suggested that it might be based on an inn name, but we know of no examples of an inn name being used as a byname in Spanish either. [Catalina Oro Sol, 03/00, A-Caid]

The byname was justified based on the existence of the period byname Bygot, by God. As an oath, by golly was not used until the 19th century. The submitter tried to justify the name as a form of by <religious figure>, with Golly as a variant of the religious figure Goliath . We know of no such examples, however, outside of Bygot and it is too much of a stretch to go from by God to by <anything else>. [Olaf Bygolly, 04/00, R-Middle]

As Brachet put it, the byname is in the class, which while unlikely in history, is functionally similar to many earlier period bynames. [Neassa the Obstreperous, 05/00, A-Ansteorra]

Submitted as Morgan Defecta, the byname had a slight problem. The combination of an English or Welsh given name and a Latin descriptive byname is common, and the name as submitted would be registerable. [Morgan Defector, 10/00, A-Caid]

Submitted as William the Admirer, no evidence was given as to why the byname "is an SCA acceptable epithet." As the submitter is mostly interested in the sound of the name, we have changed the byname to a similar-sounding period one found in Reaney and Wilson's Dictionary of English Surnames. [William Addemere, 11/00, A-Lochac]

[the Wanderer] She requested an authentic English name. However, the name is not authentic, as it combines a Gaelic given name with an SCA compatible byname. [Morag the Wanderer, 07/01, A-Artemisia]

... we are reluctantly making the byname the Lost SCA compatible. [Jordan the Lost, 07/01, A-Calontir]

CHINESE

For the registration of this name special thanks go to Pillar for providing extensive documentation, very briefly summarised by herself this way:

Relevent period Chinese given name conventions can be summarized as follows: (1) generally two syllables long, (2) meanings are carried by their written Chinese characters, and (3) female names sometimes refer to flowers.

[Li Ming Fa, 08/00, A-Atenveldt]

COMPATIBLE (Languages)

[Clan Caer Lonn] The name mixes two languages, Welsh (Caer) and Gaelic (Lonn) in one phrase, violating rule III.1.a, "Linguistic Consistency." Brian should also be informed that Clans were named after personal names and nicknames, not places. Lastly we would prefer to see some evidence that "Strong" is a reasonable adjective to apply to keeps. [Brian Brock, 07/99, R-Atenveldt]

Most cases of submitted mixed-language names fit into one of four categories. These categories are defined by three criteria: amount of contact, evidence of mixing name elements from the two cultures, and, for those languages where there is evidence, the language/orthography used to write these names.

The first category is when name mixes elements of two cultures that have no contact during our period, for example, China and Scotland. Such names have not been allowed for some time.

The second category is when names mixes elements of two cultures that have significant contact, but we have little or no evidence of mixed names, for example, Scots and Italian. The rule III.1 allows such names although the lack of evidence indicates that these mixed names were exceedingly rare at best.

The third category is when names mix elements of two cultures where we know of many cases of names containing both elements, but the name is found in one orthography (i.e., spelling convention) or the other. Gaelic/Norse name mixtures are an example; a name is recorded using either Gaelic conventions or Norse conventions, but we find no example of both conventions used at the same time when recording names. Such names are also currently registerable even with mixed orthographies.

The fourth category is when names mix elements of two cultures and we know of many case of names containing elements of both cultures and of both spelling conventions; for example, English and Welsh. As these names are historical we allow them even when the two languages are used in the same phrase.

I have no intention of changing which names are registerable. Names in the second category, however, will be considered a "weirdness". Names in the third category will be considered a "weirdness" only when the names use mixed orthographies. Names in the fourth category or names in the third category using a single orthography are fine. [08/99, CL]

Mixing a Dutch name with a Scots name is a "weirdness" but registerable. [Willem MacLear, 08/99, A-Æthelmearc]

An Italian-English name combination is a weirdness (barring evidence of such combinations in period) but acceptable. [Veronica de Holloway, 09/99, A-Artemisia]

While registerable, using an English given name with a Spanish surname is unusual. [Andrew Quintero, 09/99, A-Atenveldt]

Submitted as Ian MacEanruig, that name contains two weirdnesses: it uses a post-period anglicization of a Gaelic name and mixes Gaelic and English orthographies. [Ian MacHenrik, 10/99, A-An Tir]

Submitted as Duncan Alasdair MacRae, the name had two wierdnesses: mixing the Gaelic and English spellings, and using a double given name in Scots. Therefore, we have Anglicized the entire name. [Duncan Alastair MacRae, 12/99, A-Outlands]

... the mixture of Scots and Gaelic spelling is a weirdness and not returnable... [Elspeth O'Shea, 02/00, A-Middle]

Maura is not justifiable as a period Irish name, as it is a diminutive of Maire, which did not appear in Ireland until the end of our period. There is a possible justification of Maura as a feminization of an 8th c. Frankish male name, but there are other problems. Morlet lists Maura to 739, while MacPharlain is first cited in 1385 (Black, s.n. MacFarlane). Thus the name would have two weirdnesses: the combination of French and Scots Gaelic and temporal incompatibility. [Maura MacPharlain, 02/00, R-Atlantia]

Submitted as Kára MacLeod, the submitter requested an authentic 10th century Scottish name. The name itself is a mix of a Norse name and a Scots spelling of a Gaelic patronymic derived from a Norse name. Scots did not appear as a separate language after the 10th century. Furthermore, the mixture of two spelling systems is not plausible for 10th century Scotland. While elements from Gaelic and Norse may have been used in a single name, the name itself would be written either entirely in Gaelic or Norse, although the same name could have been written in either language depending on the context. For registration we chose to make the name entirely Gaelic both because it is more "Scottish" and because the resulting name is closer in sound to the original. A fully Norse form would be Kára Ljótsdottír. [Cera ingen Leoid, 03/00, A-Meridies]

[Arianna Kavanaugh] We already have a precedent against mixed Spanish/Irish names (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR of July 1997, p. 7, with the submission of Sanchia O'Connor); mixed Italian/Irish names are not any more plausible. [Adriana Kavanaugh, 04/00, A-Atenveldt]

Submitted as Úlfarr MacVanis, he requested an authentic Norse/Scots name. The combination of an Old Norse given name and an Anglicized Scots patronymic had too severe a temporal disparity. We have therefore changed the spelling of the given name to medieval Norwegian. [Ulvar MacVanis, 07/00, A-Lochac]

The submitted documentation had this as a mixed Hungarian/Scots name. No evidence was presented that these cultures were in contact to an extent that would justify registering the name. However, Ladislaus is actually a Latinized form of a relatively common Slavic name, found almost all over Eastern Europe; also, de Brody is found in Reaney and Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. We can therefore simply refer to the precedent from March 1993 that says a Russian/English mixed name is registerable. [Ladislaus de Brody, 07/00, A-Meridies]

... the combination of Manx with Anglicized Irish, while registerable, is not generally found as a period practice. [Egan Taitnyssagh Smilebringer, 07/00, R-Atenveldt]

No evidence was provided of a cultural contact that would justify an English/Swiss mixed name. [Roderick Zweisterne, 07/00, R-Meridies]

Submitted as Muirenn ingen Darragh, the byname mixed Anglicized and Gaelic spelling. As Bordure put it,

Woulfe (p. 494 s.n. Ó Dara) lists Darragh as a modern Anglicized form of the name. As such, using it with ingen violates RfS III.1.a, "Each phrase must be grammatically correct according to the usage of a single language."

[Muirenn ingen Dara, 08/00, A-Atlantia]

There was sufficient contact between England and Russia to allow mixed names under our rules. There was no such contact between Scotland and Russia, but we have seen documentation that MacNeill appears as a surname in England as well. Note, however, that mixed Scots / Russian names are not acceptable, barring new evidence. [Nastasiia MacNeill, 09/00, A-Caid]

Submitted on the LoI as Catharina de Bruyn, the given name was originally submitted as Caterina and changed because the Kingdom College of Heralds did not have evidence for sufficient contact between Venice and Flanders to allow the registration of mixed names. However, the Cultural Atlas of the Renaissance (p. 108) shows trade routes c. 1500 clearly linking Flanders and Venice, as well as numerous other points. That shows ample contact between Flanders and Venice, two of the major trading powers of the era. [Caterina de Bruyn, 09/00, A-Middle]

... mixed Irish / Spanish names are not allowed (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR of July 1997). [Diarmaid de Rossa, 11/00, A-An Tir]

Submitted as Theresa Boncheval, she had originally submitted Tessa Boncheval. This earlier submission was returned in Kingdom for mixing Italian and French. However, as these two cultures had significant contact with each other in period, the combination is registerable. [Tessa Cheval, 11/00, A-East]

Submitted as Isabele nic Giolla Bhríde, the byname mixed Anglicized and Gaelic spellings. As mixed-language name elements are not allowed we have changed the patronymic to an entirely Anglicized spelling. [Isabele nic Gilvride, 11/00, A-Meridies]

Mixing Russian and German, while not very plausible, is registerable under our rules. [Aleksandra von Drachenklaue, 11/00, R-Ansteorra] [Ed.: Returned for lack of forms]

Submitted as Murchadh inn digri, the name combined Irish and Norse elements. While this is registerable it is a weirdness; to prevent a second weirdness we have changed the given name to a temporally compatible form. [Murchad inn digri, 03/01, A-Meridies]

Unfortunately for the submitter, mixed Irish / Spanish names are not allowed (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR of July 1997). As Teresa was not used in the British Isles until after our period we have to return this. [Teresa Callan, 04/01, R-Atenveldt]

While combining Russian with French is registerable, it is a weirdness. The use of double given names in Russian was also ruled a weirdness by Jaelle of Armida in June 1997. The name is, therefore, not registerable as it is. [Jarucha Ekaterina Delamare, 04/01, R-Caid]

Mahmud itself is a Turkish form of Muhammad, unattested in an Arabic context. While registerable as a part of an Arabic name it is also a weirdness. [Al-Mufassir Ibrahim ibn Abi Cali Mahmud Al-Fatimi, 06/01, R-Ealdoremere] [Ed.: Returned for mulitple weirdnesses]

The name was documented as having a Polish given name with an Italian byname, but no evidence was provided that Poland and Italy were in sufficient cultural contact that the combination is registerable. However, the given name seems not to be limited to Poland: for instance, it was borne by the daughter of Henry the Fat, Duke of Saxony, who later married Lothar II, Holy Roman Emperor. The contact between Germany and Italy was sufficient to allow registration. [Richenza d'Assisi, 07/01, A-Lochac]

COMPATIBLE (SCA)
Note: This section is arranged by name, rather than by date.

... the question was raised whether Aislinn was a medieval name, and if not, whether it should be considered SCA compatible. While evidence suggests that the name is post-period, the name has been registered over 30 times in the past two decades, with at least one registration each year save one. This suggests that the name is commonly enough used to be considered SCA compatible. [Aislinn inghean Mhaoilbhrighde, 08/00, A-Atlantia]

The question was raised whether Aislinn was a medieval name, and if not, whether it should be considered SCA compatible. While evidence suggests that the name is post-period, the name has been registered over 30 times in the past two decades, with at least one registration each year save one. This suggests that the name is commonly enough used to be considered SCA compatible. [Aislinn inghean an Shionnach, 08/00, A-Meridies]

Aislinn was ruled SCA compatible in August 2000. [Aislinn O'Carlin, 07/01, A-Calontir]

Briana is SCA-compatible. [Briana Dolfin, 10/99, A-Ansteorra]

Briana is SCA compatible. [Briana MacNamara, 01/00, A-Atlantia]

... Bronwen has been declared SCA-compatible... [Bronwen Gwehyddes Anglesey, 12/99, A-An Tir]

Ceridwen is SCA-compatible. [Ceridwen merch Tudwal Penwyn, 02/00, A-Atlantia]

Ceridwen is SCA compatible. [Ceridwen Sais, 08/00, A-Caid]

Cerridwen has been ruled SCA compatible in this spelling as well as the more usual ones. [Cerridwen de Skene, 11/00, A-Æthelmearc]

The given name was ruled SCA compatible in this spelling in June 1996. [Cerridwen of Kildare, 11/00, A-West]

Submitted as Ceiridwen Bach, only the spellings Ceridwen and Cerridwen have been ruled SCA compatible in August 1995. [Ceridwen Bach, 07/01, A-Calontir]

... the name already has a weirdness with the use of Corwynn, which is undocumented but SCA compatible, ... [Corwynn the Lost, 07/99, R-Atenveldt]

Deirdre is SCA compatible. [Deirdre Fallon, 10/99, A-Atlantia]

Deirdre is SCA compatible. [Deirdre the Wench, 11/99, A-Outlands]

Deirdre is SCA compatible. [Deirdre inghean Ghiolla Ruaidh, 01/00, A-Ansteorra]

Deirdre is SCA-compatible. [Deirdre inghean Dhomhnaill mhic Maidecc, 03/00, A-Caid]

[Dragonhurst] No evidence was supplied that Dragon- was a period element in placenames. Drakehurst would be significantly more authentic. Nevertheless, a cursory search found over 30 SCA names with Dragon-<X> as locatives. Therefore Dragonhurst is SCA compatible. [Anne of Dragonhurst, 02/00, A-Middle]

Fiona is SCA compatible. [Fiona MacLeod, 08/99, A-Atenveldt]

Fiona is SCA compatible. [Fiona of Artemisia, 07/01, A-Artemisia]

Submitted as Fionna McClancy, the given name has only been ruled as SCA compatible in the spelling Fiona. We have changed the name accordingly. [Fiona McClancy, 07/01, A-Calontir]

Furthermore, as of the LoAR cover letter of August, 1995, we do not accept the spelling Gwendolyn, although we do accept Gwendolen. [Gwendolyn of the Isle of Wight, 11/99, R-Meridies]

... Gwyneth has been ruled SCA compatible. [Gwyneth Lewelyne, 02/01, A-Atlantia]

[Ian Marcaiche] This name contains two weirdness: an SCA-compatible given name, and the combination of English and Gaelic orthographies in one name. [Ian Marcaiche, 09/99, R-Outlands]

Arval Benicoeur's article, "Concerning the Names Iain, Ian, and Eoin" mentions the name Eithne ingen Iain i nOchtur Aird in a 12th century Irish Gaelic document. There are other references to Iain (as a genitive form), but they were part of religious names. Nevertheless given the single citation, combined with the fact that Iain is otherwise SCA compatible, we will registered names containing mac Iain or inghean Iain. [Gavin MacIain, 10/99, A-Ansteorra]

... the name Iain, while ruled SCA compatible, is not attested in period. [Iain Bán Menzies, 07/00, R-Atlantia]

Moira is SCA compatible. [Moira MacGregor, 09/99, A-Outlands]

Rhiannon is SCA compatible. [Rhiannon MacPherson, 08/99, A-Caid]

Rhiannon is SCA compatible. [Rhiannon of Pembroke Castle, 09/99, A-An Tir]

Rhiannon is SCA compatible. [Rhiannon of Lough Derg, 10/99, A-Calontir]

Rhiannon is SCA compatible. [Rhiannon Llygad Flaidd, 02/00, A-Atenveldt]

Rhiannon is SCA compatible. [Rhiannon of Sevenoaks, 07/01, A-West]

Rowan is SCA compatible. [Rowan of Hakesleah, 12/99, A-West]

Rowena is SCA compatible. [Rowena of Seventowers, 07/99, A-Lochac]

Rowena ... has been declared SCA compatible. [Rowena of Avalon, 08/99, A-Artemisia]

... we are reluctantly making the byname the Lost SCA compatible. [Jordan the Lost, 07/01, A-Calontir]

CONFLICT - Other Names

[Hawks Keep] This conflicts with Hawk Herald of Calontir. Keep is the designator, and therefore does not contribute towards difference; neither does the addition of the possessive. [Arik Alton, 08/99, R-Atenveldt]

[Paramount Pursuivant] This title conflicts with Paramount Pictures, which the College of Arms feels is a non-SCA name important enough to protect. Also, we'd like to see more evidence of adjectives used as heraldic titles in period. [Atenveldt, Kingdom of, 07/99, R-Atenveldt]

[Order of the Caltrop] The name conflicts with Caltrop Pursuivant, which is registered to the Kingdom of Calontir. Æthelmearc has a letter to conflict from the King and Queen of Calontir. However, current practice allows someone owning Order of the X to use X Pursuivant and vice versa. Therefore two such items are effectively identical. Since we cannot register two identical items even with permission, the order name must be returned. [Æthelmearc, Kingdom of, 10/99, R-Æthelmearc]

[Order of Le Pomme d'Or] Conflict with the Palme d'Or, the award for best film at the Cannes Film Festival. As one of the very few international awards known in America, we consider it important enough to protect, and there is insufficent difference in sounce between Pomme and Palme. [Arn Hold, Barony of, 01/00, R-Artemisia]

[Award of the Sapphire] This name does not conflict with the personal name Sapphyra (registered August 1971), because personal names do not conflict with order names. [Middle Kingdom, 02/00, A-Middle]

[House Ancaster] This name is in aural conflict with the protected real-world house of Lancaster. [Azelin Cola of Wishford, 08/00, R-East]

[House White Hart] The household name is in conflict with the inn of White Hart. While none of the real-world inns of that name is important enough to protect under our current rules, the one featured in Arthur C. Clarke's Tales from the White Hart is. [Gisla Rodumna, 11/00, R-An Tir]

[Company of Pembroke] This conflicts with the borough of Pembroke, which has its own entry in the Encyclopædia Britannica. As this is a direct conflict, we are not at this time making a ruling whether Company of <Place> is registerable as a household name. Also, we wish to remind the College that for conflict purposes there are two kinds of names: personal and others. Household names, therefore, can conflict with place names, order names, or titles. [Conrad von Zuberbuehler, 02/01, R-Artemisia]

CONFLICT - Personal Names
see Conflict Table for a quick reference

This name is clear of both Conal Mac Dhómhnuill and Coinneach Ó Domhnail. Conal and Coinneach are significantly different in sound and spelling. Mac ‘son of' and O ‘descendant (grandson) of/of clan' refer to significantly different relationships and are therefore clear. [Coinneach mac Dhomhnuill, 09/99, A-Outlands]

While Mary MacGregor was the wife of Rob Roy MacGregor, she does not have her own entry in the standard sources, and we find no other reason to rule her important enough to protect. [Implying that Mary and Moira would conflict.] [Moira MacGregor, 09/99, A-Outlands]

Conflict with Jeanne d'Evreaux, a queen of France. While she does not have her own listing in the Encyclopedia Britannica, prior precedent has protected queens of major kingdoms, and in her case she is also important as the owner of an well known book of hours, making her better known in the Society than in the general community. [Jane Devereux, 09/99, R- Atlantia]

Conflict with the registered name Shauna MacLeod. There is insufficient difference between the given names. [Seán MacLeod, 09/99, R-Meridies]

This name is close to but clear of Bianca Drago. There is one less syllable in Drake, and we believe that the difference in sound and appearance is sufficient to make these clear. [Bianca Drake, 10/99, A-Calontir]

Conflict with the registered name Mara O'Brien. There is insufficient difference between the given names. [Maire O'Brien, 10/99, R-Calontir]

Conflict with Caitlin nicCoinnich. MacKenzie is an anglicized form of mac Coinnich, making the two identical for the purposes of conflict. [Caitlin MacKenzie, 10/99, R-East]

Conflict with the registered name Caitlin MacGregor. The two names sound almost identical when pronounced correctly. [Katerine MacGregor, 10/99, R-Middle]

This is not in conflict with Edward Montague, second Earl of Manchester. He only appears in a biographical dictionary (and then under his title), and currently we require an appearence in sources such as general encyclopedias before we consider them important enough to protect. [Edward Montague, 11/99, A-Middle]

Conflict with the registered name Catairiona ní Fhlannagáin. By rule V.1.a.i (Difference of given names), "Irrespective of differences in sound and appearance, a given name is not significantly different from any of its diminutives when they are used as given names." [Cait inghean ui Flannagain, 11/99, R-Artemisia]

This conflicts with John of Gaunt, father of Henry IV of England, listed in the Encyclopædia Britannica Online. There is little difference in the sound of the two names. [Jan van Ghent, 11/99, R-Lochac]

Conflict with Sir Charles Roberts Canadian nationalist writer and naturalist, who has his own listing in the Britannica Online. [Charles Roberts, 11/99, R-Outlands]

The name is not in conflict with the Adelicia, wife of Henry I, since she is actually known as Adelicia of Louvain. Furthermore, the name of a less important queen of a less important king is not automatically worthy of protection. [Adelicia Brabant, 12/99, A-Ansteorra]

The name is not in conflict with either Tycho Brahe or Johannes Kepler, and because the references are to period persons, this is not obtrusively modern. [Tycho Kepler, 12/99, A-Caid]

Conflict with the registered names Sean Dalamara and Jeanne de la Mare. [Sean de la Mare, 12/99, R-An Tir]

Conflict with the registered name Sebastian Sturme; they are too similar in appearance. [Sebastian Sterne, 12/99, R-An Tir]

This conflicts with John Doe, which is a well known legal term for an unidentified male. [Seaan Dowe, 12/99, R-Caid]

This does not conflict with Antonella di Marco. Antonella is a diminutive of Antonia, not Antonio, and the two names neither look nor sound alike. [Antonio di Marco, 01/00, A-Caid]

Because it is reasonable for a resident of a town to be named after the town's patron saint, this name is not presumptuous. Furthermore, Saint Morwenna, the patron saint of Morwenstow, is not important enough to protect. [Morwenna of Morwenstow, 01/00, A-Drachenwald]

Conflict with the registered name Caitlin of Greenwood. When pronounced correctly, the only difference in sound is the very minor difference between an "r" and an "l" and sometimes the difference between a "t" and a "th". Neither change is sufficient difference. [Catharine Grenewode, 01/00, R-Atlantia]

Conflict with the registered name Dougal MacRae. The documentation for the name implies that both names, being variants of each other are pronounced similarly. [Dugald MacRath, 01/00, R-Drachenwald]

Conflict with Johann Faust, better known as Doctor Faustus, a significant legendary character. Hans is a diminutive of Johann. [Hans Faust, 02/00, R-Ansteorra]

Conflict with the registered name Katheryn MacEvin. Both elements are simply spelling variants of each other. [Katherine mac Ewen, 02/00, R-Middle]

Conflict with the registered name Bernard ben Barra. Neither ben nor de contribute to difference and the primary elements are not significantly different. [Bernard de Barre, 03/00, R-Drachenwald]

Conflict with the registered name Owen FitzEdward. There is insufficient difference between the given names because they are simply spelling variants of the same name. As Fitz and -son indicate the same relationship there is also insufficient difference in the bynames. [Owain Edwardson, 03/00, R-Caid]

A possible conflict was called against Aubrey de Vere, found in Encyclopaedia Britannica. However, according to Morlet's Dictionnaire etymologique des noms de famille Auveré appears to be a French variant of Alveredus (and thus related to Alfred), while Withycombe notes Aubrey comes from Auberi, the French form of Alberich. The names are therefore ethymologically distinct; furthermore, there is no aural conflict between the two. [Auveré de Ver, 04/00, A-Æthelmearc]

Submitted as Ewan MacLaren of Balquhidder, … dropping Balquhidder would result in a conflict with the already registered name of Eoin MacLaren … [Ewan of Balquhidder, 04/00, A-An Tir]

This conflicts with the registered name of Brianna O Duinn. [Brian Ó Duinn, 04/00, R-An Tir]

This conflicts with the registered name of Eileen Fraser.According to the Rules for Submissions, section V.1.a.i, "Two given names are significantly different only if they differ significantly in sound and appearance". While the difference between the pronunciations of Ellen and Eileen is not altogether insignificant, it would make this a borderline case. However, they do not differ significantly in appearance. [Ellen Fraser, 04/00, R-An Tir]

This name conflicts with the registered name of Uilleam Mackintosh. [William Mac an toisich, 04/00, R-An Tir]

... conflicts with Elisée de Calais, registered in December 1998. Section V.1.a.i of the Rules for Submissions says that a given name is not significantly different from any of its diminutives, and, while Elisée is not in a strict ethymological sense a diminutive of Elisabeth, it is often used as one. [Elisabeth de Calais, 05/00, R-Ansteorra]

This conflicts with Meadhbh ni Dhomhnaill , registered in April 1996. Both given names and patronymics differ only in the period of the orthography, and no difference is given from the change from ni to ingen. [Medb ingen Domnaill, 05/00, R-Ansteorra]

The name conflicts with Brian de Barri [Brione de Barre, 05/00, R-Drachenwald]

This conflicts with Laura Aleyn. [Laura Lynn, 05/00, R-Outlands]

Submitted as Alexander Macrae, the name would have conflicted with Alexander MacKai, registered in March 1999. We have therefore changed the byname to another documented variant. [Alexander Macrad, 06/00, A-Caid]

The question was raised in commentary whether a name which uses a doubled name element should really be clear if either of the doubled element taken singly with the rest of the name is a conflict. As several commenters considered this submission unacceptable for this reason, we are initiating discussion on the matter in the cover letter to this LoAR. However, as with other rules changes, the current rules will be applied to the submission that initiates the change. By these, this name does not conflict. [Margaret Elizabeth Stuart, 06/00, A-Trimaris]

This conflicts with the Scottish cardiologist Sir James MacKenzie (1853-1925). [Jamie MacKenzie, 06/00, R-Caid]

This conflicts with Mikjal Haraldson ... [Michael Haroldsson, 06/00, R-Caid]

This name conflicts aurally with that of the saint used to document the byname, Carolus Boromeus. Since the latter has his own entry in Encyclopædia Britannica he is important enough to be protected by our current standards. [Karius Boromeus, 06/00, R-Calontir]

This conflicts with Jehanne d'Avignon [Johan d'Avignon, 06/00, R-Lochac]

A conflict was called against the name of Alexander MacKenzie, Prime Minister of Canada 1873–1878. While we agree this is as close as one can get, we eventually decided to side with the commenters who felt that the difference in both sound and appearance is significant enough that the names do not conflict. [Alasdair MacKenzie, 07/00, A-Atlantia]

This name conflicts with that of Alix d'Avignon ... [Alicia d'Avignon, 07/00, R-Atlantia]

This name conflicts with the real-world opera singer Annie Louise Cary, 1841-1921, found in Encyclopaedia Britannica. [Anne Cary, 08/00, R-An Tir]

This is in conflict with Donnchadh MacAonghais ... [Duncan MacAngus, 09/00, R-Æethelmearc]

We are not entirely sure the present-day authors Donald MacDonald, Donald F. MacDonald and Donald L. MacDonald, cited in commentary, are important enough to protect. Da'ud ibn Auda wrote, in the March 1992 LoAR on a case of a conflict against a modern author: His name is apparently too recent to appear yet in any of our standard sources, but he is clearly well known enough to warrant protection. (Even Lord Laurel who has read none of his works, is familiar with all the titles mentioned by the commenters.) We are not confident that any of the cited authors are that well known. It doesn't matter, however, since the name is also in aural conflict with Ronald MacDonald of hamburger fame, who is well known enough to protect. [Donald MacDonald, 09/00, R-Ansteorra]

This is a resubmission of a Laurel return for conflict with Johann Faust, better known as Doctor Faustus, a significant legendary character. Hans is a diminutive of Johann, so something else was needed to clear the conflict. The submitter tried to add a locative byname von Bamberg. Unfortunately for him, however, Bamberg is the home city of Dr. Faust. Just as Julie Capulet of Verona would conflict with Juliet of Romeo and Juliet fame, this submission still conflicts with the Doctor. [Hans Faust von Bamberg, 10/00, R-Ansteorra]

The name conflicts aurally with Eric Thorhallson. Also, the correct form of the byname would be Þorvaldsson. [Eiríkr Þorvaldson, 10/00, R-Artemisia]

This conflicts with Angus MacDougall [Áengus Ó Dubhghaill, 10/00, R-Caid]

As the submitted documentation indicates, this name is a usual Polish form of Stanislas of Cracow. As such it is a fine name, except for one thing: there already is a rather well known Stanislas of Cracow, who got his fame in essentially the same manner as Thomas Becket did in England. … Not surprisingly, he also has his own entry in quite a few general encyclopaedias. [Stanislaw Krakowski, 10/00, R-Meridies]

[Ian vs. Eoin] The question was raised in commentary whether this name conflicts with the British industrialist Sir Ian MacGregor (1912—1998), listed in Encyclopaedia Britannica. However, in the April 1996 LoAR Talan Gwynek, then Pelican King of Arms, ruled that Eoin and Ian are significantly different in sound as well as appearance. [Eoin MacGriogair, 11/00, A-Caid]

[Margarete Rau] The issue was raised in commentary that this name is in conflict with Margaret Rau, a contemporary author of children's literature. Determining whether such persons are important enough is somewhat difficult, as general encyclopaedias are necessarily much more vague about contemporary than historical persons. There are, however, two relevant prior rulings.

Patrick MacManus. Name.

Conflict with Patrick F. McManus, a well-known modern writer of humor. His name is apparently to recent to appear yet in any of our standard sources, but he is clearly well known enough warrant protection. (Even Lord Laurel who has read none of his works, is familiar with all of the titles mentioned by the commenters.)

(Da'ud ibn Auda, March 1992 LoAR; the name was returned)

Thorarinn Gunnersson. Name.

The name was submitted as Thorarinn Gunnarsson on the LoI, but his form has Gunnersson, which is also documentable. We do not consider the modern author of fantasy and science fiction important enough to protect.

(Talan Gwynek, August 1996; the name was registered)

In the current case neither the author nor her works were widely recognised within the College, as appears to have happened in the first of these prior rulings. We therefore register the name. [Margarete Rau, 11/00, A-Caid]

This is in conflict with Andreas Hak, registered December 1980. The given names are variants of each other, and not quite different enough to be clear; the bynames are in aural conflict. [Andrew Hawoc, 11/00, R-An Tir]

This conflicts with Eibhlín MacEogan… [Eibhlin Macewan, 11/00, R-East]

This name conflicts with the cartoon character Peter Parker, also known as Spiderman. [Pedr Le Parcar, 11/00, R-Middle]

This is in aural conflict with Derdriu ingen Mhurchadha ... [Derdriu ingen Muiredaig, 12/00, R-Atlantia]

This name conflicts with Catriona Nic Aoidh, registered in December 1998. [Caitríona inghean Aoidh, 02/01, R-Middle]

Submitted as Ihone MacEogan, that name conflicted with Eoin mac Eoghain ... [Ihone MacEogan of Bannockburn, 04/01, A-Ansteorra]

[Siobhán inghean uí Dhomnaill] The question was raised in commentary whether this name conflicts with Siobhan MacDonald, registered in 1985. However, in September 1999 Elsbeth Ann Roth made a ruling which is relevant here:

Mac son of and O descendant (grandson) of/of clan refer to significantly different relationships and are therefore clear.

It seems natural to apply this ruling to the corresponding feminine forms inghean and inghean uí as well. [Siobhán inghean uí Dhomnaill, 04/01, A-Ansteorra]

The name conflicts with Thomas Arundel, archbishop of Ely, who has his own entry in the Encyclopaedia Britannica. [Thomas de Ely, 04/01, R-Drachenwald]

The name is in aural conflict with Catríona Macraith, registered in April 1994: the given names are identical and the bynames differ only in the final consonant. [Catrina Mackrae, 05/01, R-An Tir]

This conflicts with Katharine Campbell, registered in June 1988. According to RfS V.1.a, two name elements need to differ significantly in sound and appearance to be considered different. The difference in pronunciation between Catriona and Katharine is not quite significant enough. [Catriona Campbell, 05/01, R-Meridies]

This name ... conflicts with Morgan Griffin, registered in October 1990. [Morgan ap Grufydd, 06/01, R-Ealdormere]

This is in aural conflict with Astrith Ulfsdottir. [Astrid Olafsdatter, 06/01, R-East]

This conflicts with Brigid MacGowan ... [Brighid ingen ui Gobhainn, 06/01, R-East]

This is in aural conflict with Margaret MacDuibhshithe... [Margaret MacDuff, 07/01, A-Ansteorra]

This conflicts with Fiona MacGregor, registered in March 1985. [Fiona ingen Griogair, 07/01, R-Artemisia]

This is in aural conflict with Aindrea MacLeod... [Andrew Macleod, 07/01, R-Calontir]

Unfortunately for the submitter, Catherine of Navarra or Catalina de Navarra was the sovereign queen of that kingdom in the early 1480's; she ruled jointly with her husband Jean d'Albret until 1512, when the kingdom became a part of Catalonia-Aragon. [Catalina de Navarra, 07/01, R-Middle]

DANISH

... the use of an English given name with an otherwise Danish name is registerable... [Christian Jorgensen af Helsingør, 09/99, A-Artemisia]

DEITY

Taranis is only documented as the name of a god [Taran Wulf, 07/99, A-Atenveldt]

Ó Corráin and Maguire's documentation for Neamhain lists the name only as an ancient Irish war goddess. Without documentation that humans used this name in period, we must return it. [Neamhain inghean uí hEidirsceóil, 08/99, R-Atlantia]

[Eos Du] To quote Metron Ariston:

As far as I can determine, Eos was never used for a human being in the classical period or later, unlike Aurora, Hercules, Dionysia or Diana. Ηωσ [the Greek letters eta, omega, sigma] or Eos in Greek had the primary meaning of dawn or daylight or daytime. Only in a very secondary manner was the term used for a goddess, the personification of dawn. Indeed, unlike more popular Greek gods who produced theophoric names like Apollodorus or Heracles (Hercules), Eos does not seem to have spawned any names at all in classical Greek. Since most of the names adopted by the classical humanists (e.g., Mars, Hercules and Diana) were from the Latin store and involved deities or demigods who appeared in or were associated with the legendary genealogies of the Roman period, the use of Eos would be highly unlikely. Using it with a Gaelic epithet is even more unlikely. (If someone were going for a humanist name, they would be much more likely to go for a Latin translation with the same meaning. Here it would be likely to be nigra, i.e., black.)

[Eos Du, 03/00, R-Caid]

Submitted as Proteus of Verona, the only documentation for Proteus was of the Greek Sea-God. Since there was no documentation for the name as a name of a human being, it cannot be used as an SCA name. We have therefore changed it to Protais, a name closely resembling the submitted name. Protais is found in Dauzat's Dictionnnaire Etymologique des noms de famille et des prenoms de France as a form of Protasius, the name of a 1st century Saint and a 6th century French bishop. [Protais of Verona, 09/00, A-Trimaris]

[Muirne] Unfortunately, Ó Corráin and Maguire, Irish Names, only cite Muirne as the mother of Finn mac Cumaill — who, as they note under Finn, was really a Celtic god. The submitter might consider Muirenn instead; Ó Corráin and Maguire say it "was an extremely popular name in the early period". [Muirne inghean Séamus Ó Corcra, 09/00, R-Atlantia]

DOCUMENTATION

Current precedent is to accept the names of significant characters from period Arthurian literature as there is a pattern of such names being used in England and France in period. [Bedivere de Byron, 06/99, A-Atlantia]

[House Stirling Hart.] The examples cited in the documentation were insufficient to justify the use of a town in an inn name. [Madog Maelgwn ap Llywelyn, 08/99, R-Caid]

The cases where documentation from Shakesphere is sufficient by itself require that the name be formed in a manner consistent with sixteenth century England (it also helps if the play was written before 1600). In this case Yorick appears to not follow English naming practices, but instead was specifically intended to be a foreign sounding version of George. Barring evidence that the name is compatible with period style we must return it. [Yorick of the Craigs, 08/99, R-Caid]

... the submitter's source for the name, The Writer's Digest Character Naming Sourcebook, is not by itself a good enough source for names, especially as its information is contradicted by better sources. [Wiktorzyja Adalbertowna, 10/99, A-Calontir]

As noted before, Hanks and Hodges is a particularly poor source for period names. [Aeron Aschennen of Clan MacKenzie, 05/00, R-Ansteorra]

Since the submitter did not provide copies of the S. Gabriel letter we decline to say anything definite about the suitability of the byname. [Roderick Zweisterne, 07/00, R-Meridies]

Submitted as Emry Lioncourt, the only documentation for the given name was from the Info Base of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, as noted before, the goals of the LDS are such that their data cannot be considered reliable for the purposes of documenting spelling variants. [Emery Lioncourt, 12/00, A-An Tir]

Submitted as Astor Peyton, the given name was documented as a header spelling in Reaney and Wilson's A Dictionary of English Surnames. While we do register header spellings from this source as standard modern forms, the header spelling of a surname, as in this case, is not necessarily acceptable as a given name. We have therefore substituted a spelling used as a given name and dated by Reaney and Wilson to 1642, within our grey area. Granted, they also say that the name was used as a given name in the 17th century, but this is not sufficient for disallowing the name: the Glossary of Terms says it is logical to assume that something current in the period 1601—1650 may also have been current in the last years of the 16th century, so long as there is no specific evidence to the contrary. Reaney and Wilson, while casting doubts, are not specific enough. [Aster Peyton, 05/01, A-An Tir]

DUTCH

Submitted as Gerlinda Uda Agast , the name had two moderately serious problems. First, there was a five-century gap between the documented dates for the given names and the byname; second, we have found no evidence that double given names were used in Dutch-speaking regions in our period. Neither of these problems would in itself be grounds for return, but the combination is unacceptable, as it would take the name two steps away from period practice. We have therefore dropped the second given name. [Gerlinda Agast, 05/00, A-Middle]

The given name had two problems. First, names from classical literature are not known to have been used in the Netherlands in period. This in itself would not have warranted a return by our rules, as Netherlands had access to classical authors. Second, Pythias in the context of Damon and — seems to be a misreading of Phinthias; the only classical references to Pythias refer to females. [Pythias of Rotterdam, 06/00, R-Caid]

First, Mefrouwe is a form of address that literally means 'My Lady' — it is therefore inappropriate in an SCA name. Further, op den See does not mean 'from the Sea' but 'at sea', in the sense of being afloat . The appropriate form of the lake would be van der See. [Mefrouwe Beatrix op den See, 09/00, R-Outlands]

Capitalization of van is likely to be a modern phenomenon in Dutch. However, the submitter has provided documentation which lists Van Kouwenhoven with a capitalized V, in addition to other names from the same source where this capitalization does not occur. While the capitalization may appear because of normalization, we are giving the submitter the benefit of the doubt. [Agnes Van Kouwenhoven, 06/01, A-Middle]

ENGLISH

While Zoë is unattested in England until modern times, it is the name of a late Roman Christian martyr. Such names formed an available name pool in period practice and thus this is a plausible extrapolation. [Cassandra Zoë Paganel, 08/99, A-Caid]

The use of two given names is not a problem; Reaney and Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames, list a number of feminine given names used as unmarked matronymics. [Christiana Ailitha, 09/99, A-Artemesia]

Submitted as Dorian of Whispering Oaks, the submitter's source apparently changed the Greek names into similar English names. No other documentation for the use of Dorian in period could be found. We therefore substituted its Italian form, Dorio. Furthermore, no evidence was presented, nor was any found, that Whispering is an adjectbive used in place names in period. Therefore, that element was dropped. [Dorio of the Oaks, 10/99, A-East]

Submitted as Juliana de Florey, called The Imaginour, no evidence was presented or has been found that the use of called is a valid documentary form for English. [Juliana de Florey le Ymagour, 10/99, A-Meridies]

[Trinity] So we have given names derived from four great ecclesiastical feasts. [Christmas, Easter, Pentacost, and Epiphany] (Withycombe mentions also Midwinter and Loveday, which are also day names but not ecclesiastical feasts.) The striking thing is that this is a very short list. This is not enough to constitute a plausible productive pattern, much less extended to nouveaux lesser feasts like Trinity Sunday. [Trinity Munro, 10/99, R-Æthelmearc]

We were given no evidence that Lindsay was a given name in period. [Lindsay MacBean, 10/99, R-Calontir]

Submitted as Eliza O Coileain, while mixed Gaelic/English spellings are allowed, we still require that the grammar of the Gaelic patronymic be correct. We have therefore substituted an appropriate Anglicized form of the byname. [Eliza O'Culane, 11/99, R-Atenveldt]

... there is no evidence that unmarked patronymics were used in Old English names. [Æðelwulf Omundes sunu, 11/99, A-Trimaris]

No documentation was provided, nor could any be found, proving that Camelos was a place name. Reaney, Origin of English Placenames, states that Camulos was the name of a deity and the related place name was Camulodunum. Robert Colchester (the English form of the place name) would be a great medieval name. [Robert Camulos Brigantius, 03/00, R-Caid]

Submitted as Phyllida Longacre of Ravenglass, Phyllida is the accusative singular form of the classical feminine name Phyllis. The earliest citation in English seems to be Phillida and Corydon by Nicholas Breton (1542 - 1626) who appears to have been trying to translate or at least emulate a poem by Propertius. In the original, the name Phyllis appears in the Latin accusative (Phyllida) and using this in translation is probably a misreading of the correct form of the name. As so often happens, a popular poem or song gave rise to a brief vogue for the name. It seems likely that the submitted form appeared as a given name after our period, so we have changed the given name to the documented period form. [Phyllis Longacre of Ravenglass, 04/00, A-Æthelmearc] [Ed.: Overturned, Phillida Parker, 06/01, A-Ealdoremere]

... Esther would appear to be constructed in a period manner — it is a Biblical name, and Biblical names were used in England. We can therefore register the name. [Esther Millar, 05/00, A-Outlands]

Submitted as Mary Catherine of Mull, she wishes an authentic 13th–15th century name. Since double given names were not used in Britain in that time period we have dropped the second one. [Mary of Mull, 06/00, A-Caid]

Submitted on the LoI as Tom MacGrimm, the name was changed to that form in Kingdom; it was originally submitted as Tam MacGrimm. However, Reaney and Wilson's Dictionary of English Surnames has "Peter Tamelyn 1327 SRsf. A double diminutive of Tam (Tom). cf. Tomlin." and "William Tamson 1395 EA (OS) iv (C); Walter Tampson 1641 PrSo; John Tampson 1642 PrD. 'Son of Tam', a variant of Tom, a pet-form of Thomas." Therefore Tam appears to be an acceptable given name. However, there is no documentation for adding mac to the documentable Grimm. We have therefore changed the given name back to the original form and removed mac from the byname. [Tam Grimm, 09/00, A-Outlands]

Submitted as David Warren Rufier of Monmouth, the name has a given name, two unmarked patronymic bynames (Warren and Rufier) and a locative byname. This kind of construction does not follow known period naming practices — a double surname where both were derived from given names and a locative byname is quite unlikely. However, according to Dauzat, Dictionnaire étymologique des noms de famille et des prénoms de France, the name Rouffier may come from a descriptive byname meaning 'scab'. We have, therefore, changed Rufier to the similar-sounding Rouffier so that the name is composed of a given name followed by a patronymic, descriptive and locative byname. This combination, while uncommon, is registerable. [David Warren Rouffier of Monmouth, 10/00, A-Trimaris]

Submitted as Lili of Eastham, no documentation was provided for the spelling of the given name. We have therefore changed it to a form dated to 1247 in Reaney and Wilson's A Dictionary of English Surnames. [Lilie of Eastham, 11/00, A-East]

Submitted as Robert of the Quill, no documentation was provided for the byname. However, as Argent Snail notes, the OED dates the word quill to 1412, although as a part of a reed instead of the meaning we are now used to. As a feather, the OED dates it to 1552. They also date the word to 1610 as a heraldic charge from Guilliam (a quill of yarn). Inn signs were frequently based on heraldic charges, and we have changed the byname accordingly. [Robert atte Quill, 11/00, A-East]

As we wrote in the July 2000 LoAR,

While we allow real-world name elements in SCA names without further documentation, this is restricted to cases where "such elements are not excessively obtrusive." Combining a Gaelic Irish given name with what appears to be a non-European surname falls afoul of this restriction.

Combining an English given name with a Hindi byname is no less obtrusive. [Margaret Singh, 02/01, R-Outlands]

While a submission was returned in April 2000 because of lack of documentation for the given name Phyllida/Phillida, Argent Snail found a citation of a Fillida who was married in 1620. It therefore appears that the name did appear as a given name early enough to be registerable. [Phillida Parker, 06/01, A-Ealdoremere]

Submitted on the LoI as Marguerite of Sandwich, a second given name was dropped in Kingdom. Since double given names were occasionally used in late period England we have changed the name back to the originally submitted form. [Marguerite Elisabeth of Sandwich, 07/01, A-Calontir]

FINNISH

The name is returned for lack of a given name. While Kissa is a word in Finnish, there was no documentation given to show that this follows a pattern of Finnish given names. [Kissa Sveitarbot, 08/99, R-Caid]

FRENCH

We find no evidence of Danielle in period. However, it follows a pattern of feminizing masculine in France, and Daniel was found in "An Index to the Given Names in the 1292 Census of Paris" by Colm Dubh. [Danielle de Froideau, 10/99, A-Æthelmearc]

The name was submitted as Amariah de Clovis. While there was a pattern in 16th century England of using Old Testament names, we know of no such pattern in medieval French names. Barring such evidence and barring any direct evidence of Amariah as a French name, we cannot register the combination. [Amauri de Clovis, 10/99, A-Ansteorra]

Submitted as Béatrix d'Angoulême, the submitter requested an authentic 15th century form. Such a form would have used neither accents nor circumflexes. Because the circumflex is used to indicate an old 's' that is no longer pronounced, once we remove the circumflex we must add back in the 's'. [Beatrix d'Angoulesme, 11/99, A-Ansteorra]

Charmant is dated to 1550 in Dauzat, DuBois, and Mitterand, Nouveau Dictionnaire Étymologique. The feminine Charmante therefore is acceptable as a descriptive byname. [Honorée la Charmante, 11/99, A-Caid]

Submitted as Genevieve Gabriel d'Avon Plubel, the name had a given name, a patronymic byname, a locative byname and a hereditary surname; we have no evidence that this kind of byname set was used. However, feminising the second name and switching the last two gives two given names, a hereditary surname and a locative byname which, while not ideal, is registerable. Dropping one of the two first names and one of the last two would make this a fine 15th century French name. [Genevieve Gabrielle Plubel d'Avon, 04/00, A-Atenvedlt]

Submitted as Jean-Pierre Dubois, we know of no period examples of double given names that use the hyphenation. [Jean Pierre Dubois, 04/00, A-Atenveldt]

Submitted as Mimet the Minx, the documentation for Mimet is as a byname. However, Argent Snail pointed out that Flutre's "Table des noms propres avec toutes leurs variantes figurant dans les romans du moyen age écrits en français ou en provençal et actuellement publiés ou analysés" has Mimienne, dated 1528. Although the name is cited as belonging to the mother of Merlin, she was human and therefore this can be used as documentation, although barely. [Mimienne the Minx, 04/00, A-Atlantia]

Submitted as Simon Ker Bouchard, no evidence was given for the combination of an Irish byname followed by a French surname of apparently patronymic origin. Dauzat (Dictionnaire étymologique des noms de famille et des prénoms de France) tells that the initial element ker is a Breton word meaning "village"; Morlet (Dictionnaire étymologique des noms de famille) notes further that it is cognate to the caer found in Britain. It is stated to frequently appear in toponymic formations for the names of domains followed by the name of an ancient owner. As Bouchard is an ancient baptismal name, Kerbouchard would seem to follow such known examples as Kerdavid and Kerjean. [Simon Kerbouchard, 06/00, A-Atenveldt]

Submitted as Delphine de la Forêt Verte, no evidence was submitted that 'Green Forest' would be a meaningful place name. However, Dauzat & Rostaing, Dicyionnaire etymologique de noms de Lieux en France, lists places named la Forêt in various spellings from 9th century onwards. [Delphine de la Forêt, 06/00, A-Calontir]

While accents were not used consistently in period French, they were used on occasion, for instance in Louis Meigret's Le tretté de la grammere françoe, published in 1550. [Angelique Michiele du Hérisson, 03/01, A-Middle]

GERMAN

[Maximilliam] ... we know of no examples of Maximillian with a double-l. Therefore the given name was changed to a documented German form. [Maximilian Utz von Wulfen, 07/99, A-Atenveldt]

Colm Dubh found a citation of Annalies in 1634 (Wilfred Seibicke, Historisches Deutsches Vornamenbuch), which is in our "gray area" of documentation. Therefore we will allow the compound given name. We will, however, only allow it in the listed spelling (barring documentation that another spelling is a valid period variant). [Annalies Grossmund, 10/99, A-Calontir]

Submitted as Rosalinda Francisca Gertrude Kesselheim, the submitter justified the name as a mixture of Spanish and German. In neither language are three given names justified, therefore we dropped the first middle name. This name still has a "weirdness", as Rosalinda has fallen out of use in Germany by the time double given names were in use. [Rosalinda Gertrude Kesselheim, 12/99, A-Ansteorra]

[Hans Holzarbeiter] No one was able to find any actual examples of Holzarbeiter as an occupational surname, but as it follows a standard pattern of occupational names we are giving the submitter the benefit of the doubt. [Hans Holzarbeiter, 12/99, A-Atlantia]

No evidence was given, and none was found, to indicate that Blitzkopf, "lightning-head," was a reasonable byname. The German surnames ending in -head all use modifiers that describe heads, such as "broad head," "hard head," "pretty head," "curly head," and "black head." [Jochen Blitzkopf, 02/00, R-Æthelmearc]

Submitted under the name Elisabeth Johanna von der Flossenburg, von der appears to have been used with common names and von with proper names; it is rather similar to the English distinction between of and of the. As Flossenburg is a proper name, we have to agree with the earlier return. [Elisabeth Johanna von Flossenburg, 04/00, A-Æthelmearc]

[Hilderun zu dem Alpenwald] Submitted as Hilderun aus dem Alpenwald, she requested an authentic German name. We have therefore changed the preposition aus, widely used in the Society but rarely if ever used in period, to the documented and widely used zu. [Aline le Fey, 06/00, A-Caid]

Submitted as Alric Rolf von Merzig, the submitter requested an authentic 12th—13th century German name. Double given names were not used at that time, so we had to drop one … [Alric von Merzig, 06/00, A-Caid]

No evidence was supplied as to why 'the Accursed' would be a reasonable byname. Even if such evidence had been found, the grammatically correct form would be Verdammte. [Gregor der Verdammt, 06/00, R-Trimaris]

This name has several problems. First, no dated evidence was submitted for the given name. Second, neither was evidence given for the unusual byname Haifisch, meaning 'shark.' Third, the second byname der Laut does not mean 'the Loud' but 'the Tone'; this doesn't fit with our knowledge about period bynames. Finally, no evidence was submitted for using two descriptive bynames in German. [Arnak Haifisch der Laut, 07/00, R-Atenveldt]

Submitted as Adalwolfa von der Helle, the question was raised whether there was a pattern of feminizing Germanic masculine names. A quick browse through Morlet's Les noms de personne sur le territoire de l'ancienne Gaule du VIe au XIIe siècle, vol. I - les noms issus du germanique continental et les créations gallo-germaniques does reveal enough pairs of the type Adalsada – Adalsadus to suggest such a pattern. However, Morlet only provides us this kind of evidence for Latinized Germanic names, so we can't get to the Germanic form. We have therefore changed the given name to a Latinized spelling. [Adalulfa von der Helle, 08/00, A-Ansteorra]

Submitted as Irmele von Grünsberg, the first byname had been dropped in Kingdom because she had requested an authentic 15th century German name. While double bynames were not common in that area and time period they were used. [Irmele Schäfferin von Grünsberg, 03/01, A-Caid]

Submitted as Gottfried aus Mainz, no documentation was provided for the non-standard locative particle. We have therefore changed it to the common one. [Gottfried von Mainz, 05/01, A-Atlantia]

Submitted as Anna Katerina von Baden, she requested an authentic 12th century German name and stated that if it was necessary to drop one of the given names, she would prefer to drop Anna. As double given names were not used in that area and time period we have done so. [Katerina von Baden, 07/01, A-Atlantia]

Submitted as Elsa Lenore von der Movius, the name has two problems. Lenore appears to be an 18th century German literary invention; we have dropped it. The only documentation for von der Movius with the article and preposition is from a genealogy published in English; the College has had no opportunity to verify the quality of this source and the name is not attested with an article or preposition anywhere else. We have therefore dropped these. [Elsa Movius, 07/01, A-Outlands]

GRAMMAR

... there are no known examples of a patronymic ending in -ovna that do not immediately follow the given name. [Tatiana Gordeevna Kazimirova, 07/99, A-Atenveldt]

Submitted as Damaris St. Cloud, we do not register scribal abbreviations. [Damaris Saint Cloud, 10/99, A-Atenveldt]

The documentation for Xristiana, as confirmed by checking with Fause Lozenge, indicates that Xristiana is a scribal abbreviation, which we do not register. [Xristiana Fraser, 10/99, R-Calontir]

Submitted as St. Crispin, we do not register scribal abbreviations. [Saint Crispin, College of, 12/99, A-Lochac]

Submitted as the Order of the Gryphon's Eye, the apostrophe was not used until after period. [Artemisia, Kingdom of, 01/00, A-Artemisia]

As the submitter requested an authentic German name, the given name was changed in Kingdom to Kassandra. However, considering the variation in period spelling, the originally submitted Cassandra is equally acceptable, so we have changed the name back. The name may not be entirely authentic, though, since we did not find evidence that Cassandra with any spelling was used in Germany. [Cassandra vom Rhein, 06/00, A-Ansteorra]

HOUSEHOLD
see also BRANCH
see also ORDERS and AWARDS

[La Lancia della Casa Rosatti] We found evidence that "Lance" was a termed used in many places in Europe, including Italy, to describe a very small military group, and that Lancia is a valid Italian term. Therefore we are allowing it as a household designator. It is unclear if such groups had names (beyond the leader), but we are giving the submitter the benefit of the doubt. [Morgana Elisabetta Rosatti, 07/99, A-Caid]

[House Stirling Hart.] The examples cited in the documentation were insufficient to justify the use of a town in an inn name. [Madog Maelgwn ap Llywelyn, 08/99, R-Caid]

[House Open Hearth] No documentation was given to show that Open Hearth was a reasonable inn or sign name. Sign names of the form <adjective> <noun> tend to have adjectives that can be easily displayed on a sign. "Open" is not such an adjective when applied to hearths. [Jared the Potter and Sajah bint Habushun ibn Ishandiyar al-Hajjaj, 11/99, R-Atlantia]

[House of the Amber Moon] While the submitter did give evidence that amber was used as a color towards the end of our period (although only in a poem), she did not give any evidence showing that <color> Moon is a reasonable household name, i.e., a name consistent with some period organized group of people. [Zhivana Anastasiia Svemirovna, 12/99, R-Caid]

[Compagnie du Graal] This was pended to discuss whether a literary reference to the Knights of the Grail was important enough to protect. While I received little commentary, the evidence indicates that it is not. It is also true that there is a tradition of naming orders after important legendary artifacts, the most notable being the Order of the Golden Fleece. We therefore believe that such while such an order may imply a group intending to emulate the Arthurian knights, barring any notable actual Orders of the Grail, we must assume that they are not pretending to be the Arthurian knights. [Giovanni di Sienna, 01/00, A-Outlands]

[Thorne House] Conflict with Thornhold, registered to Ciorstan MacAmhlaidh. As hold is the designator, it does not contribute difference. [Yin Mei Li and Marie Lorraine de Montclair, 01/00, R-Artemisia]

The Administrative Handbook does limit joint registration to a "couple" but does not define the term (and the term is used very loosely, i.e., the rules do not specifically say that badges and household names can be registered by more than one individual, they just indicate how the name or badge should be referenced when registered by a couple). A couple does not require that the two people be of different sex, and as we do not inquire as to the exact relationship in general we do not do so here. We do, however, intend to alter the Administrative Handbook to be clearer on the issue and to allow registration of joint badge by any two (but no more than two) individuals. [Yin Mei Li and Marie Lorraine de Montclair, 01/00, R-Artemisia]

[Company of the Pembroke Luce] The documentation given did not show that <place name> <noun> or <surname> <noun> was a pattern given to organized groups in period. "Household names must follow the patterns of period names of organized groups of people. Possible models include Scottish clans (Clan Stewart), ruling dynasties (House of Anjou), professional guilds (Baker's Guild of Augsburg, Worshipful Company of Coopers), military units (The White Company), and inns (House of the White Hart)" [Conrad von Zuberbuehler, 02/00, R-Artemisia]

[Wælsinges Hus] ... submitted as Hûs Wælsinges … The argument was made that the submission conflicts with the Wælsinges of Beowulf, which indeed were used as documentation. However, they don't have their own entry in general encyclopaedias, and the opinion of the College was sufficiently mixed that we don't feel compelled to protect them despite this. A similar argument was made about the Volsunga. However, it does not matter whether they are important enough to protect, as translations of a name do not by default conflict with each other. We feel that the difference in this case is, while close to the limit, still significant enough. The documentation for the name is scanty, but the Wælsinges of Beowulf were human; also, Ekwall (s.n. Walsingham) notes that the names of Great and Little Walsingham in Norfolk are derived from the name. We have changed the word order and removed the modern vowel length mark to be consistent with period usage. [Lupus of Arundel, 04/00, A-Caid]

[Guardians of the Golden Grove] No evidence was provided either by the submitters or the College that this would follow any of the known period patterns for the names of fighting units. [Gyldenholt, Barony of, 06/00, R-Caid]

[House Wolfgang von Neunkirchen] No evidence was provided that ships in period were named after specific individuals. On the contrary, based on the knowledge we have, this seems not to have been the case. [Astrid Radulfsdottir, 07/00, R-Æthelmearc]

[Dragon's Bower] No evidence was provided that this is a reasonable construction for the name of an inn, or any other organized group of people. [Sile Linet O'Loughlin, 07/00, R-Meridies]

[Capella Sancti Thomi et Sanctae Mariae Magdalenae] The argument was made in commentary that a chapel is a building, not a group of people, and that it should therefore not qualify as an alternative for household. However, the Oxford English Dictionary lists, among other meanings of the word Chapel,

7. A choir or body of singers attached to a chapel (usually of a king or prince); 'now extended to mean the choir or the orchestra, or both, of a church or chapel, or other musical establishment sacred or secular' (Grove Dict. Music). Often in French form chapelle, Ger. kapelle, or It. capella.

The earliest dated example given for this meaning of chapel is from 1420. This leads us to believe the term can be used for organized groups of people and thus as an alternative for household. [Simon Justus, 09/00, A-Middle]

[Castle Newmarch] ... Castle is a valid household designator... [Gryffri de Newmarch, 03/01, A-Meridies]

HUNGARIAN

[Kér Béla] There is no evidence, and none could be found, that tribal names, such as Ker, were used in Hungarian names. [Kér Béla, 11/99, R-Outlands]

INDIAN

There are two problems with the name. First, we would like to see some evidence of interaction between 3rd through 6th century India and Europe. Second, it was the feelings of the College that Brahman denotes a high enough caste that the use of the name is presumptuous. We would need to see evidence that Brahman implied status no higher than gentry in Europe. [Madhu Brahman, 01/00, R-An Tir]

As we wrote in the July 2000 LoAR,

While we allow real-world name elements in SCA names without further documentation, this is restricted to cases where "such elements are not excessively obtrusive." Combining a Gaelic Irish given name with what appears to be a non-European surname falls afoul of this restriction.

Combining an English given name with a Hindi byname is no less obtrusive. [Margaret Singh, 02/01, R-Outlands]

IRISH and SCOTTISH
see also PRESUMPTION

The submitter should be informed that the use of ní is modern ... [Muirenn ní Ailbe, 08/99, A-Artemisia]

While there is little evidence for mixed Scots/Italian names, there is enough contact between the cultures for this to be allowable. It is, however, a "weirdness." For a fuller discussion, see the cover letter [Ed.: see COMPATIBLE (Language)]. [Laertes McBride, 08/99, A-Caid]

Submitted as Étain inghean uí Braonáin, the submitter requested an authentic form for 6th-12th century Ireland. Clan names of this type were not used in Ireland before the tenth century, but Harpy believes that Étain ingen uí B(h)róenáin is reasonable for the 10th through 12th century. The ‘h' is optional in Old Irish names - the name is still pronounced as lenited but not spelled that way. [Étain ingen uí Bróenáin, 08/99, A-East]

[Coinneach mac Dhomhnuill] This name is clear of both Conal Mac Dhómhnuill and Coinneach Ó Domhnail. Conal and Coinneach are significantly different in sound and spelling. Mac ‘son of' and O ‘descendant (grandson) of/of clan' refer to significantly different relationships and are therefore clear. [Coinneach mac Dhomhnuill, 09/99, A-Outlands]

Submitted as Maura MacLeod, no documentation was given showing that Maura was a period given name. The Irish Gaelic form Maire appeared so late in Irish as a solitary given name that we are doubtful that English diminutives appeared within our period. We therefore replaced the given name with a documented form. [Mary MacLeod, 10/99, A-Æthelmearc]

Arval Benicoeur's article, "Concerning the Names Iain, Ian, and Eoin" mentions the name Eithne ingen Iain i nOchtur Aird in a 12th century Irish Gaelic document. There are other references to Iain (as a genitive form), but they were part of religious names. Nevertheless given the single citation, combined with the fact that Iain is otherwise SCA compatible, we will registered names containing mac Iain or inghean Iain. [Gavin MacIain, 10/99, A-Ansteorra]

... the documentation for Banba indicates that it was used only as a place name or as the wife of a god. [Banba McGowen, 10/99, R-Calontir] [Ed.: Returned for lack of paperwork]

Submitted as Ceara ingen Conaill, lenition was always explictily written for voiceless letters. [Ceara ingen Chonaill, 11/99, A-Caid]

Submitted as Sciath ingen Cuain, lenition was always explicitly written for voiceless letters. Therefore we have corrected the patronymic. [Sciath ingen Chuain, 11/99, A-Caid]

The dated documentation for Baildrin only lists it in the genitive form; however, no one could determine the nominative form and it is possible that the name was a foreign borrowing and has the same nominative as genitive form. Therefore, we are giving the submitter the benefit of the doubt. [Baildrin MacEinri, 11/99, A-East]

... no documentation was given, nor was any found, showing that Cait is a period diminutive. [Cait inghean ui Flannagain, 11/99, R-Artemisia] [Ed.: Returned for conflict]

[Culloch MacUalraig] The documentation for Culloch did not show that it was a given name. Not all names used after mac in Irish or Scottish Gaelic are given names. In this case Culloch appears to be a descriptive byname. [Culloch MacUalraig, 12/99, R-Caid]

No evidence was given, nor could any be found, to justify a byname meaning "wolf phantom". Bynames in Irish Gaelic were generally literal, as in F.ind, "fair", or Gabulfota, "long-legged." [Siobhán Faolscatha, 12/99, R-Caid]

Briana is SCA compatible. Submitted as Briana MacConmara, the surname is Gaelic, and, as such the gender of the patronymic is incorrect. If we corrected the gender of the patronymic, then the name would have two weirdnesses: mixed English and Gaelic orthographies and the use of an SCA compatible name. [Briana MacNamara, 01/00, A-Atlantia]

No evidence was given showing that Mungo was ever used except as a nickname of the 6th century saint. We will accept the documented devotional form Cosmungo, but not the name itself barring evidence of its use as a given name (and not a nickname) in period. [Mungo Amadan Mor, 01/00, R-West]

Submitted as Elspeth O'Seaghdha, while the mixture of Scots and Gaelic spelling is a weirdness and not returnable, if the byname is in Gaelic it must follow the rules of Gaelic grammar. Ó Seaghdha (or O'Seaghdha) cannot follow a feminine name. We have therefore Anglicized the byname. If she wants an entirely Irish name she could have Sibéal inghean uí Sheaghdha, where Sibéal is a Gaelic form of Elizabeth/Isabel. [Elspeth O'Shea, 02/00, A-Middle]

Ailionora and Caointiarn are both Irish feminine given names. We know of no examples of Irish names consisting of two given names. Nor can we make the second name a metronymic. There is no evidence that metronymics were used in Ireland; the only examples found involved genealogies of royalty whose claim to royalty involved descent through the female line. [Ailionora Caointiarn, 02/00, R-Atenveldt]