Articles > Names Late Period Feminine Names from the South of France
by Talan Gwynek (Brian M. Scott)
scott@math.csuohio.edu
© 1999 by Brian M. Scott; all rights reserved.
Introduction
The following names appear in Appendix B, Lists of Prostitutes, of
Leah L. Otis, Prostitution in Medieval Society.
Citations dated 1357 are from Uzès (near Nîmes); all others
are from Toulouse. The 1514 and 1521 citations were preceded by the
definite article la irrespective of their form: la Johanna dela
Crotz (forename + byname), la Granda Maria (byname + forename),
la Ramonda (forename alone), la Vinhala `vine-keeper' (byname
alone).
Diminutive forms are grouped with the root name. Multiple examples of the
same name are indicated by a number in parentheses after the date.
Forenames
Angelline | 1528 |
Anne | 1528 |
Anthonye | 1514 |
| Tonyna | 1514 |
This identification as a pet form of Anthonia is uncertain. |
Astrugue | 1528 |
Bernarda | 1425 |
Bertrande | 1528 |
Blanca | 1514 |
Catharina | 1514 |
| Catharine | 1528 |
| Quataryna | 1521 |
| Quatalina | 1521 |
Clareta | 1514, 1521 |
Domenge | 1528 |
Francesa | 1514, 1521(3) |
Guirauda | 1521 |
Jacquelyna | 1514 |
| Jaquelyna | 1521 |
Jammeta | 1521 |
Janseranda | 1357 |
Johanna | 1514(4) |
| Johana | 1514, 1521 |
| | Johanetta | 1357(2) |
| | Johaneta | 1425(2) |
| Joana | 1521 |
| Jehanne | 1528(6) |
Laurensa | 1521 |
Lisette | 1528(3) |
Loise | 1528 |
Magdalaine | 1528 |
Margarette | 1528 |
| Marguaritte | 1528 |
| Margarida | 1521 |
| | Margot | 1514 |
Maria | 1514(2) |
| Marette | 1528 |
| Marieta | 1425, 1514, 1521 |
Marta | 1521 |
Mondette | 1528 |
Nonela | 1521 |
Olyna | 1521 |
Perhaps a misreading of Olyva? |
Pieret | 1357 |
| Peyrinne | 1528 |
| Peyrrine | 1528 |
Ramonda | 1514 |
Tomasa | 1521 |
Tuffayna | 1514 |
Otis hesitantly suggests that this may be a byname `hairy', but
Tiphaine was not an uncommon name. |
Valentina | 1357 |
Ysabel | 1514, 1528(2) |
Bynames
Bynames (individually-descriptive surnames) are divided into several
categories: toponymic bynames (based on a place name),
topographic bynames (based on a description of a place), ethnic
bynames (an adjective based on a place name), occupational
bynames, nicknames, patronymics (based on the name of the
woman's father), and some bynames of uncertain origin.
Toponymic Locatives
Where Otis has given the modern form, I've put it in parentheses after the
date. Note that in some cases there are several places with the same name,
so a definite identification is impossible. Question marks are taken from
Otis.
dAlby | 1528 | (Albi) |
de Beumont | 1521 | (Beaumont) |
de Bourdeaulx | 1514 | (Bordeaux) |
de Camsas | 1528 | (Campsas) |
Cassaigne | 1528 | (Cassaigne) |
de Castilhon | 1528 | (Castilhon) |
de Castras | 1514 | (Castres) |
de Corneri | 1425 | Otis suggests a variety of modern place-names. |
dela Couste | 1528 | (La Coste?) |
dela Crotz | 1514 | (prob. Lacroix-Falgarde) |
de Feurillet | 1528 | (?) |
de France | 1514 | (Ile-de-France) |
de Guera | 1521 | Otis suggests no identification. |
de Livrono | 1357 | (Livron) |
de Lymos | 1514 | (Limoux) |
de Montalba | 1528(2) | (Montauban) |
de Montat | 1528 | (La Montat) |
Morlhone | 1528 | (Morlhon-le-Haut) |
de Moyssac | 1528 | (Moissac) |
de Navarra | 1425 | (Navarre) |
de Nogarolis | 1521 | (Nogaro) |
Peche | 1528 | (Pech) |
de Privite | 1357 | (Privas) |
du Puy | 1528 | (Le Puy) |
de Rebelh | 1521 | (Revel) |
de Romano | 1357 | (Romans) |
de Sancto Petro | 1425 | (Saint Pierre) |
Sarlade | 1528 | (Sarlat-la-Canéda?) |
de Sartaigne | 1528 | (Sardinia) |
de Saulmuves | 1528 | (?) |
de Tors | 1514 | (Tours) |
de Valencia | 1357 | (Valens) |
de Valenssa | 1528 | (Valence) |
Vendomes | 1528 | (Vendomes?) |
Topographical Locatives
del Mas | 1521 | 'at the isolated rural house' |
Ethnic Bynames
la Bordelasa | 1514 | 'la Bordelaise' (Bordeaux) |
la Bordalesa | 1521 |
la Compaignere | 1528 | (Compains?) |
Compaignere | 1528 | |
la Gasconna | 1514 | 'la Gasconne' (Gascony) |
la (Granda, Petita) Lombarda | 1514 | 'la Lombarde' (Lombardy) |
Lansquanette | 1528 | (Lansac?) |
la Lyonnesa | 1514 | 'la Lyonnaise' (Lyon) |
Maleta | 1425 | Otis suggests that this may refer to Malause, but it could be some other kind of byname altogether. |
la Maurilhaca | 1514 | (Mauriac) |
la Pymontoise | 1528 | 'la Piémontaise' (Piémont) |
Serere | 1528 | (Sere?) |
la Tholosane | 1528 | 'la Toulousaine' (Toulouse) |
Occupational Bynames
la Vinhala | 1514 | 'vine-keeper' |
Nicknames
Bastarde | 1528 | 'bastard' |
la Bastoyna | 1521 | 'pack animal'? |
la Bedossa | 1514 | 'stutterer' |
la Berena | 1521 | bera is 'old ewe', so perh. a dimin. of this |
la Borgueta | 1514 | 'little town' |
la Bornieta | 1521 | 'one-eyed' |
la Esclopiera | 1521 | 'gimpy' |
la Garacha | 1514 | 'plowing field' (or from garcha 'ewe') |
la Granda Lombarda | 1514 | 'the big Lombard' |
la Granda (Maria) | 1514 | 'Big Maria' |
la Mandeta | 1521 | 'vixen' (or perh. mandreta 'prostitute') |
la Morelesa | 1521 | 'negress, Moor' |
la Petit Delh | 1521 | 'the little Delh'; is Delh a forename or a common noun? |
la Petit Hoeyl | 1514 | oelha is 'ewe', so perh. 'the little ewe' |
la Petita (Fransesa) | 1521 | 'Little Fransesa' |
la Petita Lombarda | 1514 | 'the little Lombard' |
la Porreta | 1514 | 'little leek' or 'little mulberry bush' |
la Puta (Nonela) | 1521 | 'the whore Nonela' |
la Repentye | 1528 | 'the penitent' |
la Rossa | 1521 | 'redhead' |
la Soillarda | 1514 | 'dirty woman'? |
la Torta | 1521 | 'gimpy' |
Patronymics
All are Germanic in origin: BERN-HARD, WALD-BERHT, SIGI-WIN. The usual
French forms are Bernard, Gaubert, and Seguin.
Bernade | 1528 |
Gaulbert | 1528 |
Seguine | 1528 |
Ambiguous or Uncertain
Otis offers no interpretation of the byname Blanque; it could be
either a nickname or a metronymic. She offers the nickname interpretations
of la Serena. Withycombe mentions a 13th
c. English instance of Serena, and Morlet
(II:105a) has it as late as 1090, but in this case a nickname seems more
likely.
Blancque | 1528 | 'fair, white', or the forename Blanca? |
la Serena | 1514 | 'gentle' or 'siren', or perh. the forename Serena. |
de la Terrada | 1514 | perh. topon., Terre-Basse, or perh. topog., 'sown field' |
I can offer no certain explanation for these bynames.
la M[a] de Guera | 1521 | The 'a' in square brackets is a superscript. This appears to be some sort of locative, but Otis makes no comment about it at all. |
la Petit Delh | 1521 | What is Delh? |
la Feloy | 1521 | What is Feloy? |
la Pastra | 1521 | What is Pastra? |
References
Otis, Leah L., Prostitution in Medieval Society
(Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987).
Withycombe, E.G., The Oxford Dictionary of English
Christian Names, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988).
Morlet, Marie-Therese, Les Noms de Personne sur le
Territoire de l'Ancienne Gaule du VIe au XIIe Siecle, three volumes
(Paris: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 1972), II:105a.
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