Fionnualla is a post-period form of the name Fionnghuala. Barring evidence that it was used in period, it is not registerable. [Fionnghuala O Murrigane, A-Artemisia, LoAR 12/2001]

While it is true that in the Lusignan legend, Melusine's father is said to be the King of Scotland, her mother is said to be the fairy Pressina. The locus classicus for her tale is the Chronique de Melusine written by Jean d'Arras around 1387. In this classic fairy tale story, Melusine is said to have been cursed by her mother to be transformed every Saturday into a hideous monster with a serpent's tale [sic] and, if ever seen in this form by a mortal, to be destined to take this form forever.

There are only a bare handful of Melusines registered, and the only documentation is post-1650; I think I can safely disallow the name, pending evidence that it's period. I'd be willing to believe it a variant form of Melisenda, Millicent --- but as it's also the name of a mythical monster, I'd like to see some evidence of its period use by humans. (Melusine d'Argent, October, 1992, pg. 21)

[Rosalind atte Rylle] The only documentation for Rosalynd in the LoI said that it was proposed as a variant of Rosalind first used in Shakespeare's As You Like It. Since that is from the end of our period, we do not think it is likely that a variant form of the name was used during our period. Therefore we have changed it to the form found in Shakespeare. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR March 1999, p. 6)

Conflict - Other Names

[Caldera Herald] This is being returned for an aural conflict with the Province of Calderium. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR May 1997, p. 8)

Conflict - Personal Names
see Conflict Table for a quick reference
see also "Which Gaelic and Anglicized Particles Should Conflict"

Protected historical personal names are protected in all of the forms in which they commonly appear. Charlemagne, which becomes Carolus Magnus in Latin and Karl der Grosse in German, is protected in all three forms.

[Eoin Mac Cainnigh] The name is clear of Ian MacCoinnich, registered September 1990; Eoin and Ian are significantly different in sound as well as appearance. (LoAR April 1996, p. 1)

[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 Anne 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]

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]

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]

Protected historical personal names are protected in all of the forms in which they commonly appear. Charlemagne, which becomes Carolus Magnus in Latin and Karl der Grosse in German, is protected in all three forms.

As Polonus means 'the Pole' or 'of Poland', this name conflicts with the three kings: Wladyslaw I (king of Poland from 1306), Wladyslaw II (king from 1386) and Wladyslaw III (king from 1434). [Wladyslaw Polonus, 04/00, R-Æthelmearc]

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

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]

This name is being returned for conflict with William Forster (1819-1886) who was an English statesman and chief secretary for Ireland. As he has his own entry in the online Encyclopedia Britannica, he is protected. There was a question whether the addition of the syllable in the middle of the byname was sufficient to clear the conflict in conjunction with the addition of le. In this case, the auditory difference between Forster and Forestier is not significant enough to clear the conflict. As such, even with the addition of le, these names conflict. [William le Forestier, 10/2001, R-Æthelmearc]

Danish

Deity

Documentation

The given name was documented from Roberts, Notable Kin: An Anthology of Columns First Published in the NEHGS NEXUS, 1986-1995. While we have no reason to doubt the quality of the genealogical research, the goals of genealogists are different from ours and their data is not necessarily applicable to SCA use. The same issue applies to documentation from genealogy Web sites including ancestry.com. They cannot be relied on for documentation for spelling variants.

... significant interaction between Tibet and pre-seventeenth century Western culture has not been demonstrated. The Encyclopædia Britannica dates the first visits to Tibet by Western missionaries to the 17th century, and the fact that the 8th century Tibetan kingdom had some contact with the Arab conquerors of Iran still leaves Tibetans at least two removes from Western Europe. (Talan Gwynek, LoAR November 1995, p. 16)

[Name] As has been noted before, personal correspondence from a modern speaker, or even a scholar, of a language is not adequate documentation for a period name. The only documentation provided in support of the [byname] ... were a few lines ... from the ... gift shop proprietor cited as the source for the translation. Since no one in the College could come up with any supporting documentation for anything similar..., some more substantial documentation must be required from the submittor. (Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane, LoAR 26 Jul 87, p. 10)

Despite our high respect for [Name] and her expertise in [language] (it's what she does for a living), we have to have some idea of why she thinks it is O.K. to register this name form. Specifically we need to have documentation of the meaning and construction of the elements in this name, information not included on the letter of intent or on the forms. (Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane, LoAR 30 Sep 89, p. 14)

The Avestan names all occur in the Avesta itself, and thus can be dated to around 1000 BCE or earlier. The Old Persian inscriptions are from around 500�600 BCE. The Parsi names are from Dosabhai Framji Karaka, History of the Parsis I, London 1884. pp. 162�3, and are names in use at that time. The Zoroastrian Irani names are from Farhang-e Behdinan, by Jamshid Sorush Sorushian, Tehran, 1956, and are names used in Kerman and Yazd at that time. You will find many of the names in current usage in the Pahlavi texts as well (ca. 9th ce CE), and in fact date to ancient times, e.g. Av. manush-chithra -> Pahl. Minochehr -> modern menucher. If you consider 9th ce[ntury] CE as medieval, I would suggest looking through the Pahlavi texts for more names.

Afsar is found, undated, in Ahmed (cited in the LoI). Even the example of Afsar-ud-Din is not dated, and since I do not find the name anywhere else, I can only at this time take it as a hypothetical usage. (When Ahmed has dates, he seems to be pretty reliable. When he doesn't, it's generally indicative of modern usage.) He also gives its origin as Persian, and combines it with the Arabic al-Din.

Dutch

The byname van Flandres is problematic since van is a Dutch preposition while Flandres is a French spelling. Under RfS III.1.a. this should be returned for mixing two languages in a single phrase. The simplest way to correct this is to make the byname entirely French as de Flandres. The most likely Dutch form is Vlaminck, with no preposition (Luana de Grood, 1594).

English

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]

[Rosalind atte Rylle] The only documentation for Rosalynd in the LoI said that it was proposed as a variant of Rosalind first used in Shakespeare's As You Like It. Since that is from the end of our period, we do not think it is likely that a variant form of the name was used during our period. Therefore we have changed it to the form found in Shakespeare. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR March 1999, p. 6)

French

Claim to membership in a uniquely royal family is also considered presumptuous, although use of some dynastic surnames do not necessarily claim royal rank. For example, there was a Scottish dynasty named Stewart, but there were also many other Stewart families so use of that surname does not link one unmistakably to the royal house. Hohenstaufen, on the other hand, seems to have only been used by the line of Holy Roman Emperors, so its use makes a clear dynastic claim.

The byname van Flandres is problematic since van is a Dutch preposition while Flandres is a French spelling. Under RfS III.1.a. this should be returned for mixing two languages in a single phrase. The simplest way to correct this is to make the byname entirely French as de Flandres. The most likely Dutch form is Vlaminck, with no preposition (Luana de Grood, 1594).

While it is true that in the Lusignan legend, Melusine's father is said to be the King of Scotland, her mother is said to be the fairy Pressina. The locus classicus for her tale is the Chronique de Melusine written by Jean d'Arras around 1387. In this classic fairy tale story, Melusine is said to have been cursed by her mother to be transformed every Saturday into a hideous monster with a serpent's tale [sic] and, if ever seen in this form by a mortal, to be destined to take this form forever.

There are only a bare handful of Melusines registered, and the only documentation is post-1650; I think I can safely disallow the name, pending evidence that it's period. I'd be willing to believe it a variant form of Melisenda, Millicent --- but as it's also the name of a mythical monster, I'd like to see some evidence of its period use by humans. (Melusine d'Argent, October, 1992, pg. 21)

Gaelic (Irish, Manx, Scottish)
see also Gaelic (Anglicized) and "Which Gaelic and Anglicized Particles Should Conflict"

... one of the considerations that went into the present version of RfS V (Name Conflict) was that names that were interchangeable in period probably ought to conflict. (For an example see RfS 1.a.ii(b) (Locative Bynames).) Since Bridget Killeen and Brighid Ní Chillín could indeed have signified the same person very late in our period, it is at least consistent with other parts of the rules to say that they conflict (Talan Gwynek, LoAR March 1996, p. 10)

We had previously listed Allasan here; after further research, we have concluded that it was a mistake to include it. We have found no convincing evidence that this name was used in Scottish Gaelic before modern times.

We had previously listed Allasan here; after further research, we have concluded that it was a mistake to include it. We have found no convincing evidence that this name was used in Scottish Gaelic before modern times.

We had previously listed Allasan here; after further research, we have concluded that it was a mistake to include it. We have found no convincing evidence that this name was used in Scottish Gaelic before modern times.

[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 Anne 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]

In Irish story Eórann is the wife of Suibne, king of Dál nAriaide and hero of Buile Shuibhne, which tells how Suibne was cursed by a saint, went mad of terror at the battle of Moira, and spent the rest of his life as a wild birdman wandering through the woods of Ireland.

German

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. [Rosalinda Gertrude Kesselheim, 12/99, A-Ansteorra]

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]

Grammar

Grandfather Clause

The issue is the scope of the Grandfather Clause. The basic principle is that an item once registered remains so even if for some reason it ceases to be registerable. As is explained in the 22 February 1993 Cover Letter, we have extended the principle in two ways. First, we allow the original submitter to register further instances of the problematic element provided that they introduce no new violations of the rules; and secondly, we extend the allowance to the original submitter's nearest kin. (Talan Gwynek, LoAR December 1995, p. 20)

Household
see also Branch
see also Orders and Awards

The evidence adduced does not support combining arbitrary objects with "Cross" to form place names-both King's Cross and Charing Cross are derived from royal actions. (Charing Cross was originally "Cher reine cross"-"dear queen cross", erected by an English king in memory of his deceased queen.)

The Oxford English Dictionary, Vol. 9, pg. 39, s.n. pack defines it as a company or set of persons and dates the word packe to 1578. The Middle English Dictionary, Part P.1, Sherman M. Kuhn, ed., published 1981, University of Michigan Press on pg. 560, s.n. pak defines the word as an assemblage of people; a company, band and dates the word pak to 1425 and pack to 1400.

[Artemisia, Principality of. Name for the Artemisian Tank Corps.] The name here is intrusively modern. The fact that the individual elements may be period (though with different meanings than the submitters are desirous of) is overwhelmed by the modern connotations of the phrase. (LoAR 02/91, R-Atenveldt)

The fact that this is a "joke name" is not, in and of itself, a problem. The College has registered a number of names, perfectly period in formation, that embodied humor: Drew Steele, Miles Long, and John of Somme Whyre spring to mind as examples. They may elicit chuckles (or groans) from the listener, but no more. Intrusively modern names grab the listener by the scruff of the neck and haul him, will he or nill he, back into the 20th Century. A name that, by its very presence, destroys any medieval ambience is not a name we should register. (Porsche Audi, Returned, LoAR 08/92, pg. 28)

[Avram Ibn Gabirol. Household name for House of the Wandering Dragon] Despite what was stated on the LoI, Wandering Dragon, does not follow the pattern of inns such as House of the White Hart. A white hart could be painted on an inn sign and be identifiable as such, a "wandering dragon" could not. Barring documentation of participles of this sort being used for inn names, this must be returned. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR March 1998, p. 21)

[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]

Hungarian

Indian

The submitter has provided sufficient evidence that the name Harsha is not unique to the 7th C Indian emperor of that name, which was the previous cause for return. [Harsha Varnum, 11/01, R-Caid]

[Name] As has been noted before, personal correspondence from a modern speaker, or even a scholar, of a language is not adequate documentation for a period name. The only documentation provided in support of the [byname] ... were a few lines ... from the ... gift shop proprietor cited as the source for the translation. Since no one in the College could come up with any supporting documentation for anything similar..., some more substantial documentation must be required from the submittor. (Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane, LoAR 26 Jul 87, p. 10)

Despite our high respect for [Name] and her expertise in [language] (it's what she does for a living), we have to have some idea of why she thinks it is O.K. to register this name form. Specifically we need to have documentation of the meaning and construction of the elements in this name, information not included on the letter of intent or on the forms. (Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane, LoAR 30 Sep 89, p. 14)

Irish (non-Gaelic)
see also"Which Gaelic and Anglicized Particles Should Conflict"

Italian

Japanese

[Kentsuki] The problem with KEN on page 310 is that it is an ONYOMI reading used as a prototheme in [a] yobina. All of the examples except for Takebe use the ONYOMI reading and are yobina. Takebe is one of the special occupational -be names. Consequently, Kentsuki just does not work for a surname, a clan name, a nanori or as a yobina. It also fails as a place name. Tsuki does appear as a deuterotheme in precisely one attested surname on page 240. It is taking a kunyomi reading as indicated by the lower case reading. I am pretty sure that I told people in the text to avoid mixing onyomi and kunyomi readings in single names. Regardless, there is precisely one name in the entire pamphlet which uses the tsuki theme.

[Ujitora] Uji on page 185 is a kunyomi reading and shows up pretty much exclusively as an element in a yobina. The only other example is the female name Ujiko which can not be used to justify other forms except possibly forming a masculine yobina which is incompatible with a nanori form. He is slotting [Ujitora] in in a place which suggests that he is trying to make a yobina. [...] Tora would pretty much have to slot as a prototheme in a yobina. The one possibility is that he is trying to construct a yobina which would be slotted as the last part of his name and not the second and would not be prefixed by the no. Tora does appear as a deuterotheme for nanori as shown on page 169. The problem with Ujitora as a nanori is that it does not make a whole lot of sense from the standpoint of meaning. If you look at the various attested modifiers for -tora on page 169, you will notice that the protothemes tend to give attributes rather than being nominal. Uji on page 185 is clearly nominal and with the sole exception of the female name already mentioned is strictly a deuterotheme. Thus, a strict deuterotheme is being misapplied as a prototheme. So what we have here is a case where someone has tried to combine two deuterothemes to construct a name of unknown type. If he had given a name type, I might be able to be more helpful. However, this time he did succeed in combining two kunyomi readings.

[Kaito] KAI on page 251 shows up in a single name which happens to be a Homyo (Buddhist religious name). to [on p. 279 - the LoI typoed the page number as 219] appears only in the surname Aoto. TO [also on p. 279] appears only in ancient feminine names ending in -me.

[Tamashi] [Solveig did not comment on TA] ma- appears only as a prototheme for the surname Makabe. SHI (notice the ONYOMI reading) only appears as a middle theme in very early feminine names ending in -me. Thus, its position in this name can not be supported.

Jewish

[Yaakov Avraham ben Obadiah] A question was raised in commentary regarding the use of double given names in period Jewish names. While not the norm, the use was not rare, and therefore we see no reason not to allow it. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR November 1998, p. 7).

Joke Names

The fact that this is a "joke name" is not, in and of itself, a problem. The College has registered a number of names, perfectly period in formation, that embodied humor: Drew Steele, Miles Long, and John of Somme Whyre spring to mind as examples. (Porsche Audi, August, 1992, pg. 28)

The fact that this is a "joke name" is not, in and of itself, a problem. The College has registered a number of names, perfectly period in formation, that embodied humor: Drew Steele, Miles Long, and John of Somme Whyre spring to mind as examples. (Porsche Audi, August, 1992, pg. 28)

Latin

Legal Name Allowance

[W]e see no reason to distinguish between "SCA-compatible" names and other non-period names permitted under the provisions of RfS II.4 (Legal Names): both are allowed as concessions to modern sensibilities despite their inauthentic nature.

Beginning with the 5/96 meeting, therefore, use of two individually permissible non-period elements in a single name will be considered two weirdnesses and will be grounds for return. Such elements include non-period names allowed under the Legal Name Allowance as well as those names, apparently not used by human beings in period, that have been declared "SCA-compatible"... (Talan Gwynek, Cover Letter to the January 1996 LoAR, pp. 3-4)

Lingua Anglica

A few recent registrations have left some commenters wondering about the exact status of the College's lingua franca rules. Originally, these were simply the acknowledgement of a hard fact: that the grand majority of SCA folk speak modern English, not Russian, Saxon, Latin, Old Norse, or whatever. The principle was first expressed as a Board ruling (after they'd received correspondence written in medieval Latin!), and codified in the 1986 edition of the Rules for Submissions:

"The official language of the Society is and shall be correct modern English ...Simple particles, such as 'of', may be used without necessarily increasing the counted number of languages contained in the name. The formula, whatever the original languages, is acceptable. This is the usual historian's manner, and therefore Otto of Freising is a familiar form, though he would have been Otto von Freising or some other more Geman or Latin version in most contemporary documents." [NR1]

The same allowance for of is found in the current Rules (Rule III.2.a), though not spelled out in such detail. (28 March, 1993 Cover Letter (January, 1993 LoAR), pp. 2-3)

Less codified, but of long practice, has been the translation of epithets into our lingua franca. Again, this follows a common historian's usage: Harald I of Norway, for instance, is far better known as Harald Fairhair than by the untranslated Harald Haarfagr. Eric the Red, Philip the Good, Charles the Fat, all are translations of the period names, not the period names themselves. SCA names are permitted a similar translation: a simple epithet, documented as a period form, may be translated into English. (We prefer to register the untranslated form, but I concede that such rigor doesn't always serve our clients' best interests.) [Cover Letter for LoAR January 1993]

Literary Names

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]

Locatives and Place Names

The byname van Flandres is problematic since van is a Dutch preposition while Flandres is a French spelling. Under RfS III.1.a. this should be returned for mixing two languages in a single phrase. The simplest way to correct this is to make the byname entirely French as de Flandres. The most likely Dutch form is Vlaminck, with no preposition (Luana de Grood, 1594).

[Registering �vatý Sebesta, College of.] Submitted as College of Saint Sebesta, RfS III.1.a. requires that each phrase must be grammatically correct according to the usage of a single language. We have translated "saint" to the Czech form, as well as adding the correct "inverted caret" over the S in Sebesta (it is pronounced "Shebesta"). [6/94, p.9]

[Ulrich of Rudivale] Submitted as Ulrich von Rudivale, we have changed the [von] to of since the rules require that prepositions must agree in language with the following noun, and Rudivale, which is the client's home group, is English. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR July 1996, p. 13)

[Robert de Cynnabar] Cynnabar is the registered name of an SCA group. Since de was the most common medieval documentary locative preposition in both England and France, the two places where Robert is most likely to be found, we allow him to register the name of an SCA group with it. This was first done with the 11/92 registration of Robert de Cleftlands. (02/97)

This name is returned because no documentation can be found for the name de Compostela. People from Santiago de Compostela were known as de Santiago. [Livia Teresa de Compostela, 09/99, R-Atlantia]

Mongolian

Norse and Scandinavian

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, A-Lochac, LoAR 07/2000]

Orders and Awards
see also Branch
see also Household

Legion of the Black Fist is registered to the East (July 1974), but there is no indication in the O & A if it was registered as an order name or a household name. As the East Kingdom OP does not list it as an order, it is almost certainly a household name.

Legion of Athene's Sword was registered as a household name to Rosemounde of Mercia (August 1979)

Legion of Courtesy was registered as an order name to Caid (April 1981).

Legion of Gallantry of the Outlands was registered as an order name to the Outlands (November 1993).

[An aardvark] For purposes of registration, coastal sub-Saharan flora and fauna are considered the same as New World flora and fauna: they are a discouraged weirdness, but registerable. [Jamie Snawberd of Ross, 08/99, A-Caid]

For brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name-Disdaining Fortune, with his brandish'd steel,Which smoked with bloody execution,Like valour's minion carved out his passageTill he faced the slave;

Patronymic and Matronymic

Polish

I have checked my various Polish sources for evidence of Teofilia, and can find none. I do find the masculine name Theophilo as an ecclesiatical name in 15th century Poland (SSNO, s.n. Teofil), but this does not justify Teofilia. Slavic cultures did not form feminine names by tacking on feminine endings, as seems to have happened with some regularity in other parts of Europe.

Presumption

The evidence indicates that the usage "given name + kingdom name" is regularly used in Welsh to indicate a member of the ruling family of that kingdom (e.g., Owain Gwynedd). (LoAR 14 Jun 87, p. 6)

Claim to membership in a uniquely royal family is also considered presumptuous, although use of some dynastic surnames do not necessarily claim royal rank. For example, there was a Scottish dynasty named Stewart, but there were also many other Stewart families so use of that surname does not link one unmistakably to the royal house. Hohenstaufen, on the other hand, seems to have only been used by the line of Holy Roman Emperors, so its use makes a clear dynastic claim.

From Wreath: Presumption Due to Name and Armory Combination

[returning Jaida Badr al-Din] We must return this name for violation of RfS VI.1 (Names Claiming Rank): laqabs of the form <noun> al-Din '<noun> of the Faith' were bestowed upon princes, statesmen, generals and high officers of state by the Caliph as titles and so constitute implicit claims to rank and station. (Talan Gwynek, LoAR February 1996, p. 10)

[<name> Lietuvos, meaning <name> the Lithuanian] While prior Laurel precedent has returned the form '{Name} the {Nationality}', we do not find this presumptuous of the ruler of the country in the same way or to the same degree that, say, '{Name} of {Nation}' would. Hence, we do not find that this name conflicts with <name>, King of Lithuania. (LoAR 12/91 p.12).

<Given Name> the Breton should no more conflict with <same Given Name>, Duke of Brittany, than Richard the Englishman would with Richard, King of England. (LoAR 10/90 p.2).

We will continue to prohibit the use of a Scots clan name with the seat or territory of that clan (e.g. Cameron of Lochiel), or a surname with the phrase of that Ilk (or its functional equivalent, e.g Macintosh of Macintosh). That usage, with or without the given name, is the title of the actual chief of the clan or his immediate kin; its use in the SCA represents a direct infringement on actual nobility, and also appears to be a claim to rank, either of which is grounds for return. (Alexander MacIntosh of Islay, March, 1993, pp. 7-8)

[Lucius Thayne] A thane (or thegn) was a free retainer in pre-Conquest England, and in Scotland up to the 15th Century; the term denotes a member of territorial nobility corresponding to the Norman baron or knight. The title was one step below the eorl, and might be either earned or inherited. In the SCA, the term is used as the Old English equivalent of "baron", and is therefore reserved. Old English usage puts the title after the name: Ælfred cyning, Leofric eorl, Lyfing arcebisceop. The submitted name is thus exactly in the form that would have been used by a period thane. That fact, along with the Society use of the title, and its hereditary nature in period, outweighs the documented use of Thane, Thaine as a surname later in period. It must therefore be returned as presumptuous. (OED, under the entries for earl, king and thane; '93 E.Brit., vol.11, p.672; Reaney DBS II, pp.112, 345). (Lucius Thayne, July, 1993, pg. 15)

[returning the surname von Welf] [Sigmund von Welf] This is being returned for violating RfS VI.1-Presumptuous Names. Welf is the Middle High German form of the name more familiar to English-speakers as Guelph. This is, as noted in the OED and many historical sources, the name associated with the princely family who were the primary opponents of the Hohenstaufens for control of the Holy Roman Empire and the ancestors of inter alia the current British royal family. Therefore this name violates RFS VI.1 on presumptuous names just as much as Hohenstaufen which is specifically mentioned as an exemplar in the current edition of the RFS. The use of Welf as a surname is presumptuous with any name. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR June 1997, p. 14)

VI.1 Names Claiming Rank.-Names containing titles, territorial claims, or allusions to rank are considered presumptuous.

Titles like Earl and Duke generally may not be used as Society names, even if the title is the submitters legal name. Names documented to have been used in period may be used, even if they were derived from titles, provided there is no suggestion of territorial claim or explicit assertion of rank. For example, Regina the Laundress is acceptable but Regina of Germany is not.

[Cwenwyn] "Given the many attestations of 'Cwen' both alone and as a protheme in Period, I believe that we should give it the same allowance that we do the name Regina: so long as it is not used in a name in such a way as to imply landedness, it will be acceptable for registration." (LoAR 2/92 p.12).

Rules for Submission (RfS) Cites
This section is organized by RfS section, not by date.

[Registering �vatý Sebesta, College of.] Submitted as College of Saint Sebesta, RfS III.1.a. requires that each phrase must be grammatically correct according to the usage of a single language. We have translated "saint" to the Czech form, as well as adding the correct "inverted caret" over the S in Sebesta (it is pronounced "Shebesta"). [6/94, p.9]

Protected historical personal names are protected in all of the forms in which they commonly appear. Charlemagne, which becomes Carolus Magnus in Latin and Karl der Grosse in German, is protected in all three forms.

Russian

The name has two serious oddities that prevent it from being an authentic Russian name, as the client wishes. First, as Paul Wickenden has said many times, period Russian restricted use of the -ovna ending to royalty; the standard ending would be -ova. Secondly, the submission has a double given name. Wickenden (p. xvii-xviii) notes that there are records with apparent double given names, but the pattern is to have a Christian given name followed by a native Russian given name, and consensus is that the native Russian name was probably the commonly used name. We would thus need to drop one of the given names to meet her desire for an authentic name.

[Registering �vatý Sebesta, College of.] Submitted as College of Saint Sebesta, RfS III.1.a. requires that each phrase must be grammatically correct according to the usage of a single language. We have translated "saint" to the Czech form, as well as adding the correct "inverted caret" over the S in Sebesta (it is pronounced "Shebesta"). [6/94, p.9]

The submitted form mixes two different transliteration systems, which has the effect of changing the pronunciation of the names. The name in its entirety should adopt a single system of transliteration; either Katya Stesnaya (as already registered), Katia Stesnaia, or Katja Stesnaja. (Da'ud ibn Auda, LoAR September 1994, p. 21 [returned])

Saints' Names

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]

Scottish (non-Gaelic)
see also"Which Gaelic and Anglicized Particles Should Conflict"

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.

We had previously listed Allasan here; after further research, we have concluded that it was a mistake to include it. We have found no convincing evidence that this name was used in Scottish Gaelic before modern times.

The quhilk day my l[ord] foloit mungo morpet & Jhon vyld & Jhon anderson on the tane part & mungo lows on the toder part for the tylin of his grund with violent blud...

We will continue to prohibit the use of a Scots clan name with the seat or territory of that clan (e.g. Cameron of Lochiel), or a surname with the phrase of that Ilk (or its functional equivalent, e.g Macintosh of Macintosh). That usage, with or without the given name, is the title of the actual chief of the clan or his immediate kin; its use in the SCA represents a direct infringement on actual nobility, and also appears to be a claim to rank, either of which is grounds for return. (Alexander MacIntosh of Islay, March, 1993, pp. 7-8)

The quhilk day my l[ord] foloit mungo morpet & Jhon vyld & Jhon anderson on the tane part & mungo lows on the toder part for the tylin of his grund with violent blud...

The specific form Mackay is not dated to 1408 in Black. Black (s.n. MACKAY) does say The unique Gaelic charter of 1408 was granted by Donald, lord of the Isles, to Brian Vicar Mackay of Islay, however, the spelling Brian Vicar Mackay is Black's (or his source's) modern English translation of the Gaelic of the charter. The actual period Gaelic spelling found in the 1408 Islay Charter is Bhrian Bhicaire Mhagaodh (Munro, no. 16, p. 21). [Munro, Jean, and R. W. Munro. Acts of the Lords of the Isles: 1336-1493. Scottish History Society, 4th Series, vol. 22. Edinburg [sic]: Scottish History Society, 1986.]

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, A-Lochac, LoAR 07/2000]

Spanish and Portuguese

This name is returned because no documentation can be found for the name de Compostela. People from Santiago de Compostela were known as de Santiago. [Livia Teresa de Compostela, 09/99, R-Atlantia]

Spelling Variants

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].

Temporal Disparity

Titles

Grammatically the title should be Vox Maris. However, the title has style problems as well as grammatical ones. To quote Mistress Jaelle of Armida, Laurel Queen of Arms, quoting Master Da'ud ibn Auda, Laurel King of Arms:

[Artemisia, Kingdom of. Title for Vox Grypis Herald] This is being returned for non period style. In a similar case, Master Da'ud as Laurel said:

"[returning Vox Draconis Pursuivant] The previous version, Dragon's Voice Pursuivant, was returned 3/95 for failure to emulate period models as required by RfS III.2.b.iii; translation into Latin doesn't bring it any closer. It was suggested that it might derive from a motto Vox draconis sum 'I am the voice of the dragon', but the period examples noted all comprise the entire motto, and no evidence was presented that Vox draconis sum is a reasonable imitation of a period motto. (Caid, Kingdom of, 10/95 p. 18)"

Barring documentation that this follows period exemplar of heraldic titles, it must be returned. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR, June 1998)

No such documentation was provided this time, either. [Trimaris, Kingdom of, 06/00, R-Trimaris]

No such documentation was provided this time, either. 08/01, R-Trimaris]

[Sable Roundel Herald] While heraldic titles of the type <tincture> <charge> are no longer generally acceptable unless the tincture is specified with an everyday word, Ansteorra has already several heralds' titles of the type Sable <charge>. [Ansteorra, Kingdom of, 06/00, A-Ansteorra]

[registering House Loch Mor] This is clear of the registered branch names Lochmorrow and Lochmere. (Alina of Loch Mor, 2/96 p. 9)

Names of Significant Geographical Locations from Literary Sources�Locations in period or modern literary works of all genres may be protected on a case by case basis. Such protection will be afforded if the College of Arms deems them worthy of protection.

Turkish

Weirdness
see also Compatible (Language)
see also Temporal Disparity
see also Weirdness Table

[An aardvark] For purposes of registration, coastal sub-Saharan flora and fauna are considered the same as New World flora and fauna: they are a discouraged weirdness, but registerable. [Jamie Snawberd of Ross, 08/99, A-Caid]

Welsh

The evidence indicates that the usage "given name + kingdom name" is regularly used in Welsh to indicate a member of the ruling family of that kingdom (e.g., Owain Gwynedd). (LoAR 14 Jun 87, p. 6)

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]

INDEX

Administrative
Anglo-Saxon
Arabic
Branch
Bynames
Chinese
Compatible (Languages) see also Weirdness Table
Compatible (SCA)
Conflict - Other Names
Conflict - Personal Names see also Conflict Table
Danish
Deity
Documentation
Dutch
English
Flemish see Dutch
French
Gaelic (Anglicized) see Irish (Non-Gaelic)
Gaelic (Irish, Manx, Scottish)
German
Grammar
Grandfather Clause

Heraldic Titles see Titles
Household
Hungarian
Iberian see Spanish & Portuguese
Indian
Irish (non-Gaelic)
Italian
Japanese
Jewish
Joke Names
Latin
Legal Name Allowance
Lingua Anglica
Literary Names
Locatives and Place Names
Matronymic see Patronynmic and Matronymic
Mongolian
Mundane Name Allowance see Legal Name Allowance
Muslim see
Arabic
Norse and Scandinavian
Orders and Awards
Patronymic and Matronymic
Persian see
Arabic
Polish
Portuguese see Spanish and Portuguese
Presumption
Rules for Submission (RfS) Cites
Russian
Saints' Names
Scandinavian see Norse and Scandinavian
Scottish (non-Gaelic)
Spanish and Portuguese
Spelling Variants
Swedish see Norse and Scandinavian
Temporal Disparity
Titles
Turkish
Weirdness see also Weirdness Table and Compatible (Language) and Compatible (SCA) and Temportal Disparity
Welsh

From Pelican: Which Gaelic and Anglicized Particles Should Conflict?

Over time there have been conflicting precedents regarding which particles in Gaelic, Anglicized Irish, and Scots forms conflict with each other.

Some of the potential conflicts can be resolved by step-by-step application of the Rules for Submission. Other potential conflicts are not so clear-cut and need to be discussed by the College of Arms. The policy we adopt regarding these potential conflicts needs to be clearly understandable and predictable so that commenters and submissions heralds can conflict-check submissions more easily.

This topic will be ruled on at the April Pelican meeting. Original commentary on this issue must be in the College's hands no later than February 28, 2002. Responses and rebuttals to commentary must be in the College's hands no later than March 31, 2002.

In the interim, we will continue following the precedents as they now stand.

Per RfS V.1.a, V.1.a.ii, and V.1.a.ii.(a), to be clear of each other, two bynames of relationship must:

RfS V.1.a.ii says, "In general the addition or deletion of prepositions and articles is not significant". However, RfS V.1.a.ii.(a) uses the example "Smythwyf is significantly different from Smithson because the nature of the relationship is significantly changed", which indicates that particles of relationship are considered significant. If they were not, we would be comparing Smith to Smith, which would certainly conflict. Therefore, relationship particles may contribute to look and sound differences.

Determining whether the relationships indicated by two bynames are significantly different is done by looking at the original meanings of the names. An example in English is to compare John Richards and John Richardson. In late period England, both Richards and Richardson are inherited surnames not literal patronymic bynames. However, both Richards and Richardson originally meant "Richard's son". Therefore, they conflict.

Does the Gaelic byname Ó Domhnaill conflict with the Anglicized Irish byname O'Donnell? To find out, we look at the first test: do they "look and sound significantly different"? Since they neither look significantly different nor sound significantly different, they conflict.

Do the Scots bynames M'Conill and MakDonald conflict? There would likely be debate about whether they look and sound significantly different. But it wouldn't matter since they don't pass the requirement that they "indicate significantly different relationships" because they are both variants of MacDonald and so the original meaning for both was "son [of] Donald".

Does the Gaelic byname inghean Domhnaill conflict with the Scots byname neyn Donald? The particle inghean looks significantly different from the particle neyn, but they are pronounced similarly. They also both mean "daughter [of] Donald". Therefore, they fail both the "look and sound significantly different" test and the "indicate significantly different relationships" test and so conflict.

Does the Gaelic byname inghean mhic Dhomnaill conflict with the Scots byname neyn vic Conill? The bynames look significantly different but they sound similar. They also both mean "daughter [of the] son [of] Donald". Therefore, they fail both the "look and sound significantly different" test and the "indicate significantly different relationships" test and so conflict.

Does the Gaelic byname inghean mhic Dhomhnaill conflict with the Scots byname nic Conill? The bynames look significantly different. They sound somewhat different depending upon whether inghean is being pronounced with an earlier or later pronunciation. But the sound doesn't matters since nic is a Scots rendering of inghean mhic. Therefore both inghean mhic Dhomhnaill and nic Conill mean "daughter [of the] son [of] Donald". Therefore, they do not pass the "indicate significantly different relationships" test and so conflict.

Do the Gaelic bynames Mac Domhnaill and Ó Domhnaill conflict? The question of whether they "look and sound significantly different" really needs to be discussed separately in this case from the issue of whether the two bynames "indicate significantly different relationships".

Regarding whether they "look and sound significantly different": Mac and Ó look and sound significantly different, but do they contribute enough difference to make Mac Domhnaill and Ó Domhnaill look and sound significantly different? Significant difference in look and sound of one syllable has traditionally been enough to clear two names. For example, Conor MacNeil was ruled close to but clear of Conn MacNeill in 01/96. However, Conchobhar Ó Faoláin was ruled to be in conflict with Conchobar mac Fáeláin in 07/95 because "the change from mac to Ó does not significantly change the sound of the byname or the nature of the relationship". Ignoring the relationship issue for the moment, this ruling indicates that the difference between Mac and Ó is not enough to prevent an auditory conflict. On the other hand, the issue of sound and appearance has not been addressed in more recent rulings (both acceptances and returns) regarding possible conflicts between Mac and Ó bynames.

Regarding whether these two bynames "indicate significantly different relationships", the original meaning of Mac Domhnaill was "son [of] Donald". The original meaning of Ó Domhnaill was "grandson [of] Donald". These are significantly different relationships and would clear the "indicate significantly different relationships" test if these were the only possible interpretations of these bynames.

Over time the issue of bynames being used to indicate clan affiliation has come up. By the end of period, Mac Domhnaill and Ó Domhnaill were being used as bynames indicating clan affiliation in Ireland. But at this time, they were inherited and the particles were significant. The Mac Domhnaill family is different from the Ó Domhnaill family. One viewpoint says that the two bynames should conflict since they both indicate descent from a person named Domhnall. A different viewpoint says that they should not conflict since the two bynames are not interchangeable and Mac Domhnaill really indicates descent from someone who was a "son [of] Donald" and Ó Domhnaill indicates descent from a "grandson [of] Donald".

If we decide that Mac Domhnaill and Ó Domhnaill should conflict because they both indicate descent from the same eponymous ancestor, then that restriction will need to be applied to bynames in other languages as well. For example, Reaney & Wilson (p. 127 s.n. Daughters) date Richard Wrightdoghter to 1379 and (p. 505 s.n. Wrightson) date Robert Wryghtson to 1379. The example of Richard Wrightdoghter indicates that -doghter names could (albeit rarely) become inherited. At a point where Wrightdoghter and Wryghtson were inherited surnames, they both indicate descent from a person who was a wright. Therefore, they would conflict if we were to apply the "indicates descent from same ancestor" standard. Additionally, the Russian Alekseevich and the English Saunderson would conflict as they both indicate descent from someone named Alexander. In both the "wright" example and the "Alexander" example, we would be calling conflict between bynames that would not have been used interchangeably as they had become distinctly different inherited surnames by the time the "descent from" issue applies. (At the point when the Russian byname could only have been literal, Russia and England had no contact, so the literal bynames could not have been used interchangeably.) For Mac Domhnaill and Ó Domhnaill as well, we would be calling conflict between two names that could not have been used interchangeably when they were used literally and which were distinctly separate inherited surnames by the time the "descent from" issue applies.

So, should Mac Domhnaill and Ó Domhnaill conflict? And if so, should they conflict via the "look and sound significantly different" test or by the "indicate significantly different relationships" test?

Does the Gaelic byname inghean uí Dhomhnaill conflict with the Anglized Irish byname O Donnell? They look and sound significantly different. The byname inghean uí Dhomnhaill means "daughter [of the] grandson [of] Donald". The byname O Donnell means "grandson [of] Donald". Therefore they indicate different relationships. But are the relationships significantly different? This is an important question since a woman named Caitríona inghean uí Dhomhnaill could have been recorded in Anglicized Irish documents as Catherine O Donnell.

Does the Gaelic byname inghean uí Dhomhnaill conflict with the Anglized Irish byname Donnell? They look and sound significantly different. But do they indicate significantly different relationships? The byname inghean uí Dhomnhaill means "daughter [of the] grandson [of] Donald". What would we interpret the meaning of the byname Donnell to be? As an example, John O'Donovan (Annals of Ireland, by the Four Masters, vol. 6, p. 2446) contains a transcription of the will of "Mr. Daniell O'Donovane",dated August 14, 1629. Among the people in this will is "Ellen Donovane, the daughter of Daniell O'Donovane, my sonne and heire". So, the byname Donovane in Ellen's name comes about because her father had the byname O'Donovane. If Ellen was referred to in Gaelic, her name would likely be Oilén inghean Daniél uí Dhonnabháin or Oilén inghean uí Dhonnabháin. Oilén inghean uí Dhonnabháin and Ellen Donovane certainly look and sound significantly different. But do they differ in meaning? It comes down to the question of what Donovane means in Anglicized Irish. Also mentioned in this will is, "my maried wife, Juan Cartie, alias Donovane", so we have an example of Donovane being used in a wife's name to refer to her husband's byname.

Does the Gaelic byname inghean Domhnaill conflict with the Scots byname M'Conill? The bynames look and sound significantly different. The byname inghean Domhnaill means "daughter [of] Donald" and they byname McConill means "son [of] Donald", so the two indicate significantly different relationships. Traditionally we have called these forms in conflict under the assumption that a woman with the byname inghean Domhnaill would be referred to in Scots records using forms of MacDonald, including McConill, etc. Is this a reasonable assumption? And if so, should these bynames conflict?

Does the Gaelic byname inghean mhic Dhomhnaill conflict with the Scots byname M'Conill? The bynames both look and sound significantly different. The meaning of inghean mhic Dhomhnaill is "daughter [of the] son [of] Donald". The meaning of M'Conill is "son [of] Donald". Therefore, they pass both the "look and sound significantly different" test and the "indicate significantly different relationships" test. However, a woman named Caitríona inghean mhic Dhomhnaill could have been recorded in Scots language records as Catrina Vc Conill, Catrina McConill, or Catrina M'Conill. Each of these bynames looks and sounds significantly different from inghean mhic Dhomhnaill. So the only conflict could be via meaning. VcConill is a Scots rendering of mhic Dhomhnail, so it means "son [of] Donald". McConill and M'Conill also mean "son [of] Donald". So the meaning is not the same though they could have been used to refer to the same person in different documents. So, should they conflict or not?

Two examples from Black will help us illustrate this issue. Black (p. 518 s.n. MacIntaylor) says, "James McIntailyeour and Janet McIntailyeour, his sister, were tenants of Balnacochane, 1539 (ER., XVII, p. 658)." We do not have any indication in this entry whether James & Janet's father was a tailor or if his byname was McIntailyeour. In this Scots instance, the same Mac- style byname in the same form is being used for both brother and sister.

Black (p. 555 s.n. MacPatrick) says, "Affrica Makpatrik, daughter and heiress of Duncan Makpatric, resigned the three mark lands of old extent of Killenane, 1525 (RMS., III)." In this case, Affrica"s byname is obviously taken from her father's byname. Her full name in Gaelic would be Affraic inghean Donnchaidh Mhic Phádraig. So, would Affrica Makpatrik conflict with Affraic inghean Mhic Phádraig?

Does the Gaelic byname inghean mhic Dhomhnaill conflict with the Scots or Anglicized Irish byname Donald? The two look and sound significantly different. They may or may indicate significantly different relationships. inghean mhic Dhomhnaill means "daughter [of the] son [of] Donald". How would we interpret the meaning of Donald? An example relevent to this issue is found in the 1629 will in O'Donovan mentioned under Question 2 above. Among the people mentioned in this will is "Ellen Carthie, the daughter of Florence Mc Carthie, of Beannduffe". In Gaelic, Ellen's name would be be Oilén inghean Fhlorens Mhic Carthaigh. (Note: Florence is being used as a masculine given name in this instance.) So, would Ellen Carthie conflict with Oilén inghean Mhic Carthaigh?

Does the Gaelic byname inghean mhic Dhomhnaill conflict with the Scots byname Donaldson? The two look and sound significantly different. They also indicate significantly different relationships. The byname inghean mhic Dhomhnaill means "daughter [of the] son [of] Donald". The byname Donaldson means "Donald's son". I do not know of any cases of a woman being called inghean mhic in a Gaelic reference and -son in a Scots reference. Does any member of the College know of one? Lacking such evidence of interchangebility, it would seem that these bynames should be clear. What are your opinions?

One of the difficulties in determining whether particles conflict is knowing what forms names took during period. Heralds helping submitters with their names should not have to become experts in Gaelic to be able to tell if two names conflict or not. Towards this goal, I've compiled a preliminary table below where the various particles used in Gaelic, Scots, and Anglicized Irish are all sorted by meaning and language. The list of particles below currently only includes forms that I've encountered in sources where we can identify the context and so determine the meaning of the byname. I would ask the College to provide feedback on the usefulness of this table as well as its contents: do other particles need to be added, are some listed in incorrect locations, should others be listed, etc.? Also, is this table generally useful or does it need to be reorganized in a different structure?

There are instances of women's bynames in Scots using Mac-, Mak-, Mc, Mc-, and M'- and instances in Anglicized Irish using Mc- and no particle. Since most of these instances seem to involve a woman being recorded under the same surname as a parent or brother (when we can identify context at all), I did not list them in this table. Where these should be listed for conflict purposes will be determined when we have a consensus regarding the answers to some of the questions listed above. (Note: Anglicized Irish or Scots particles such as Mc-, M', N', etc., are registerable because they are viewed as variant spellings due to phonetic rendering of the Gaelic forms rather than as abbreviations.)

Also, when a multi-generation patronymic is used in Scots (for example: Christian Nichean vic Couil vic Gillespie [in Cornelian's Calder article listed below], Finlay McDonchy VcKerris [Black, p. 486 s.n. MacDonachie]), particles take the forms Vik-, vic, and Vc-. These derive from mhic, the lenited genitive form of mac. Should mhic get its own column in the table?

The dash notation below indicates that the particle is conjoined with the patronym. For example, Mac- would become MacDonald, while Mac would become Mac Donald.