Filling out the Forms - Individual Name Forms
Society Name
The Society Name is your registered name. If you don't have a registered name, then put the name you are trying to register here. Pay attention to capitalization and accents; certain options lower on the page will restrict how we can modify your name (if necessary). For characters you can't find on your keyboard, please use Da'ud notation (a system for writing non-Latin alphabet characters using regular letters and punctuation). Please do not write your name all in capitals; use both upper and lower case.
The Laurel office uses your Society Name to file all your paperwork. This is why you must register a name at the same time as or before you can register a device, badge, or household name.
Name being Submitted
The Name being Submitted is the name you are submitting, unless you have not registered your name yet. This line is used when you are trying to change your SCA name, register an alternate persona, or register a household name.
If you are submitting your name for the first time, leave this blank.
Legal Name
This is your modern-world name. This is the name used to notify you of the results of your submission.
Address
This is your modern-world address. Many kingdoms will notify you via mail when your submission is sent to Laurel, accepted, or returned. Please pay special attention to the postal/zip code you use; if this code is incorrect, your notification will be returned to the kingdom and you will not receive it.
Branch Name
This is the name of the college, canton, shire, or barony that you are a member of. Many kingdoms will send a copy of your notification letter to the herald of the group.
Phone Number
This is your modern-world phone number. The kingdom may call you if they need more information regarding how your name is processed.
E-mail Address
This is your e-mail address. Many kingdoms have chosen to begin notifying submitters of the results of their submissions by e-mail.
Date Submitted
This is the date you put the submission into the mail.
Consulting Herald
This is the Society name of the herald who helped you with your submission. If you have done the research yourself, leave this blank.
Herald's E-mail/Phone
This is the e-mail address or phone number for the herald who helped you with your submission. If you have done the research yourself, leave this blank.
Name(s) previously submitted but not registered
This is list of any names you have previously tried to register of the same type as you are submitting now.
Kingdom submitted from
This is name of the kingdom that you tried to register the returned name in.
Date Returned
This is the date the previous submission was returned. If you are not sure, provide any information you might have as it will be helpful.
Name Type
This is the administrative category to the type of submission:
- Primary - Primary Society name. Each person may only have one primary Society name.
- Alternate - A name for the submitter that is not the primary name. Some submitters choose alternate names to use when they are in different cultures or time periods.
- Household - A name for a household, guild or company.
- Other - When the submission does not fit in the above categories, check this box and describe what it is.
Action Type
This is the type of administrative action:
- New - The submission is new; no submission of this type has been made. Full payment must be made.
- Resubmission - This submission is in response to a return of an action type and where the original was returned. Resubmissions may not require payment; talk to a herald for your kingdom's policy.
- Change - Indicates that you are changing an item, usually a primary name. You will need to indicate what you want done with the old submission.
- Appeal - Indicates that you think an item was returned in error and that you are requesting that the item be considered again. If the return was a kingdom return, this will require the kingdom to forward the item to Laurel.
- Other - If you can't figure out what type of action it is, check this box and describe.
Name Processing Criteria
These two boxes indicate what degree of changes you will allow if Laurel needs to change your name to register it. In most cases, it is best to allow Laurel to make whatever changes are needed. Laurel will make the smallest changes possible.
Care Most About
If the name must be changed, the heralds want to know what is most important to the group about the name so they can keep the name as intact as possible. Please explain what about the aspect of the name is most important after you check a box. If the heralds don't know what is important about the sound, for example, they can't try to keep it as intact as possible.
Desired Gender
Please indicate what gender you want. If the heralds need to change your name, this will help us make sure we get you as close to the name you want.
Authenticity
This box should only be checked if you want your name to be changed to be as authentic as possible. If this box is checked, the heralds will do additional research to find the forms of the name that are as close to your time period as possible. In many cases, this will mean that your name will be changed.
Holding Name
If your name can not be changed to be registered, your name will be returned. However, the Laurel office (not kingdom submission heralds) will create a name to allow your armory and/or household name to be registered. If you want your other submission returned if your primary name can not be registered, then check this box. If your name is returned and you don't allow a holding name, all other submissions (including your device) will be returned. Checking this box does not make the registration of your name more likely.
Documentation
The Documentation section allows you to do two things: tell us where you found the pieces of your name and to tell us what name you are trying to get. This is where you can tell us if you have a preferred spelling that you can't document. You can also be more specific about which changes you will accept so the heralds can register your name and what ones you won't.
Summarizing your documentation is really not all that difficult. Heraldry.sca.org has lots of links to help you document your name: the Names page and Appendix H are your friends. Be honest in your summary; kingdom heralds and the College of Arms will review your summary and add more information they can find to support your submission.
Books
Write the names of all the authors, the name of the book, the heading the item is found under (often the modern form of the name in a name dictionary)/the page number, and a quick summary of what the source says. Appendix H gives some abbreviations for sources you could use as well.
Here are some examples:
Withycombe [full name: E.G. Withycombe, The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names - you don't need all this because this is listed in Appendix H], s.n. Drogo, dates Drogo in this spelling to 1086.
Mills [full name:Mills, A. D. A Dictionary of English Place-Names -- you don't need all this because this is listed in Appendix H], s.n. Keal, East and West, dates Westrecale to 1086.
If the source is not listed in Appendix H, provide copies of the title page, the copyright page, and the page(s) you are citing.
Web Sites
Write the name of the author, the title of the page, the URL of the page, the date you used the page, and a quick summary of what the source says.
Here are some examples:
On April 18, 2010, Juliana de Luna (Julia Smith), Spanish Names from the Late 15th Century, Men's Names in Alpabetical Order, http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/juliana/isabella/MensGivenAlpha.html, finds 10 instances Gomes.
On April 18, 2010, Juliana de Luna (Julia Smith), Spanish Names from the Late 15th Century, Patronymic Surnames, http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/juliana/isabella/patronymic.html, finds Bernal in Isabel's account books.
If the URL of the source does not start with "heraldry.sca.org" or "www.sca.org/heraldry," please provide a copy of the first printed page and any page that contain the information you are citing. Make sure the print out includes the URL, the title, and the date the information was printed.