| Laurel: | Date: (year.month.date) | Precedent: |
| François la Flamme | 2004.03 | Submitted as Appolonia Rose Notburgen, the submitter requested authenticity for German and allowed any changes.
Appolonia and Notburgen were documented as German feminine given names dated to 1495. Rose is the submitter's modern middle name. It was also found as a feminine given name in English in period. Unmarked matronymic bynames (bynames formed from the mother's name) existed in German, but were rare. An example is found in Bahlow (p. 113 s.n. Elisabeth) which dates Dietrich Elisabet to 1289. As a result, this name may be considered to have the construction [German given name] [English given name] [German unmarked matronymic byname]. As such, it would be registerable. However, lacking any evidence that Rose was used in German in period, it would not be authentic for the submitter's requested culture. As the submitter allows any changes, we have dropped the element Rose in order to meet the submitter's request for authenticity. [Appolonia Notburgen, 03/2004, A-Calontir] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.11 | [...] This name, then, combines a masculine given name with a feminine given name, rendering the name unregisterable. We might consider Irene a matronymic byname, but Lassin appears to be a patronymic form; no evidence has been found for two patronymic bynames in German or for a patronymic and matronymic byname. We cannot drop the element Irene or the element Lassin, as the submitter does not allow major changes. [Engel Irene Lassin, 11/2003, R-East] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.01 | Submitted as Constance Lisette, the submitter requested authenticity for "early France". Constance was cited from Withycombe. While Withycombe says that this name came into England from France, she does not say that Constance is the French form of this name. Morlet (vol. II, p. 36 s.n. Constancia) dates Constancia to various dates in the 10th and 11th C, and Constantia to various dates in the 11th and 12th C. We have changed the given name to Constancia to partially meet the submitter's request for authenticity.
Documentation was presented for Lisette as a feminine given name in French in 1528. The College found evidence of unmarked matronymic bynames (bynames that indicate a mother's name) in French. Therefore, Lisette can be interpreted as a matronymic byname in this name. Lacking evidence that Lisette was used in early France, we were unable to make this name completely authentic for the submitter's requested time and culture. [Constancia Lisette, 01/2003 LoAR, A-Caid] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.01 | Submitted as Judur Amat al-Wahid, this name included only two feminine given names (Judur and Amat al-Wahid), which has previously been reason for return. al-Jamal explains:
As she allows any changes, we have changed this name to the form suggested by al-Jamal in order to register this name. Lacking evidence that matronymic bynames (bynames indicating a mother's name) were used in Arabic, they have previously been ruled unregisterable. Therefore, Judur bint 'Abd al-Wahid, meaning 'Judur daughter of [a man named] 'Abd al-Wahid', is registerable, whereas Judur bint Amat al-Wahid, meaning 'Judur daughter of [a woman named] Amat al-Wahid', would not be. [Judur bint 'Abd al-Wahid, 01/2003 LoAR, A-Calontir] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.11 | The submitter requested authenticity for English and allowed minor changes. All of the submitted elements of this name were documented to 13th C England. However, double given names were a late-period development in English and so are not authentic for 13th C English. Since unmarked matronymics were used in England, the submitted name may be considered as a given name + unmarked matronymic byname + occupational byname, which is authentic for the 13th C. [Maudeleyn Godeliva Taillour, 11/2002, A-Meridies] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.10 | Submitted as Mary Rose of Burgundy, the submitter requested authenticity for the year 1445 Bardsley (p. 148 s.n. Burgon) gives this name as deriving from de Burgoyne, referring to "a native of Burgundy", and dates Elizabet de Burgon to 1379. As this was the closest dated form of this byname that we could find to 1445, we have changed the byname to this form to meet the submitter's request for authenticity. While double given names were not used in this period, Rose can be viewed as a matronymic byname (indicating her mother's given name). Therefore, Mary Rose de Burgon would be viewed as [given name] + [matronymic byname] + [locative byname] which is a construction that was used in the submitter's desired time period. [Mary Rose de Burgon, 10/2002, A-Atenveldt] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.09 | Submitted as Nest Verch Tangwistel, the submitter requested authenticity for 13th C Welsh. We have lowercased the particle to follow documented examples. [Nest verch Tangwistel, 09/2002 LoAR, A-East] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.09 | However, the largest problem with this name is the use of a matronymic byname, which has previously been cause for return. al-Jamal found relevent precendent:
[Ana{-}n bint Saa{'} iqa, 09/2002 LoAR, R-Meridies] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.08 | Note: Angharad is used as an unmarked matronymic in this name, not as a second given name (or "middle" name). To date, no examples have been found of double given names used in Welsh. Documentation from Harpy was provided with this submission supporting Tangwystl verch Angharad verch Rhys, meaning 'Tangwystyl daughter of Angharad daughter of Rhys', as a name following period Welsh name construction patterns. Documentation was also provided that it was not uncommon to omit one or more of the particles meaning 'son' or 'daughter' in a Welsh name in late period, supporting the submitted form as a variant of Tangwystl verch Angharad verch Rhys. [Tangwystl Angharad verch Rhys, 08/2002, A-Outlands] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.07 | Listed on the LoI as Kjalvor Eyjadotter, this name was submitted as Kjalvor Eyjadatter. No notation was made in the LoI regarding this change. The submitter requested authenticity for 10th to 11th C Viking and allowed minor changes. Clarion found that, "According to page 18 of Geirr Bassi, the genitive form of Eyja is Eyju, so the matronymic should be Eyjudóttir. Geirr Bassi also notes that matronymics exist." We have changed the byname to this form to meet the submitter's request for authenticity. We have also changed the given name to the form documented in Geirr Bassi. [Kjalv{o,}r Eyjudóttir, 07/2002, A-Outlands] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.07 | Note: Margarete is used as an unmarked matronymic byname. Orle found a period example of exactly this spelling in Bardsley (p. 513 s.n. Margaret), which dates Hugh Margarete to 1273. [Elizabeth Margarete, 07/2002, A-Atlantia] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.07 | The byname ní Muireáin was submitted as a matronymic byname in Irish Gaelic.
The registerability of matronymic bynames in Gaelic has fluctuated over time. Currently, only a few rare examples of matronymics have been found in Irish Gaelic, only two of which include a reference to a mother's given name. In both of these examples, the mother's given name and the father's given name are included in the person's byname. Additionally, all of the examples known at this time date from after 1200. This date is important because of the changes in which given names were popular, partially due to the Anglo-Norman influence which was growing at that time. Given the rarity of matronymics, and the narrow time and cultural frame in which they occur, they have been ruled registerable (though a weirdness), so long as they match the time and cultural frame in which the few known examples appear. Specifically, that results in two restrictions:
Regarding the submitted byname, Muireann is listed in Ó Corráin & Maguire (s.n. Muirenn) and in Woulfe (s.n. Muireann), and is a form consistent with Early Modern Gaelic (c. 1200 to c. 1700) and Modern Gaelic (c. 1700 to present) spelling conventions. However, the only dated examples of this name that have been found in period date to the 7th to 10th centuries. Lacking evidence that any form of Muireann was used after 1200, it is not registerable in a matronymic byname. Additionally, the particle ní was not used in Gaelic in period. The pre-1200 form was ingen uí and the post-1200 form was inghean uí. The few examples of matronymics in Gaelic are literal. No evidence has been found of clan names (including those using forms of ua/Ó) referring to a female ancestor. Therefore, the particle inghean is registerable in a matronymic construction, while inghean uí is not. If evidence were found of Muireann being used after 1200, then this byname would be registerable using inghean and with Muireann put into the genitive case and lenited. [Ana ní Muireáin, 07/2002, R-Atenveldt] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.05 | Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn's article "A Simple Guide to Constructing 16th Century Welsh Names (in English Contexts)" (http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/tangwystyl/welsh16.html) says that it is "extremely rare, although not unheard-of, for a mother's name to be used" in a relationship byname. Anna is documented as a feminine given name in Tangwystyl's article "Women's Names in the First Half of 16th Century Wales" (http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/tangwystyl/welshWomen16/). Therefore, the byname ferch Anna is documentable as a Welsh byname and is registerable. [Rebekah ferch Anna, 05/2002, A-Middle] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.04 | Submitted as Helga Idadóttir, the byname combined the German Ida with the Old Norse -dóttir. This violates RfS III.1.a, which requires linguistic consistency within a name phrase. Lacking evidence that the name Ida was used in Old Norse, the constructed Idadóttir is not registerable.
The LoI stated "the submitter will accept a German form similar to Helga Idas dohtir if she must." Bahlow (p. 272 s.n. It(t)ensohn) gives this as a matronymic meaning 'son of Frau Itta (Ida)' and dates Arnold Ittensun to 1300 and Hertel Idenson to 1375. The parallel 'daughter' forms would be Ittendohtir and Idendohtir. Given the example of Henneke Katerinen son dated to 1336 in Bahlow (p. 288 s.n. Katharina), Itten dohtir and Iden dohtir are reasonable forms as well. As Iden dohtir is the closest of these forms to the alternate form Idas dohtir listed on the LoI, we have changed the byname to this form in order to register her name. [Helga Iden dohtir, 04/2002, A-Caid] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.03 | Submitted as Caisséne ingen Scandlach, the submitter requested authenticity for 12th C Irish Gaelic and allowed minor changes. Scandlach is a feminine given name in the nominative case. So the submitted name appears to be a matronymic with Scandlach as her mother's name. However, the submission form documents Scandlach as "Genitive case + lenited version of Scandal", which implies the submitter intended this name to be a patronymic byname with her father's name being Scandal. The submission form confirms this in the "If my name must be changed..." section. The submitter lists "meaning" as being most important to her, and gives the meaning as "Caisséne daughter of Scandal". This meaning is authentic for her desired time and culture, where a matronymic would not be. Additionally, her name is submitted in a Middle Gaelic form. Matronymics are not registerable in Middle Gaelic:
We have corrected the byname to match the submitter's desired meaning. [Caisséne ingen Scandail, 03/2002, A-Atenveldt] |
| François la Flamme | 2001.10 | Listed on the LoI as Ceara ní Líadnáin, the name was originally submitted as Ceara ní Líadain. Because the submitted byname was a matronymic using the feminine given name Líadan, it was changed at kingdom to use the masculine given name Líadnán. The ban on matronymics in Gaelic was overturned in the July 2001 LoAR and instead ruled a weirdness. Any additional weirdness would make a name using a matronymic construction unregisterable.
Upon further review, the few examples of matronymics in Gaelic that are currently known are in Irish Gaelic and date from after 1200. Therefore, barring examples that such constructions were used in Old Irish or Middle Irish, matronymics are only registerable for Early Modern Irish Gaelic (after 1200). A matronymic construction using name elements dated only to before 1200 would add a lingual disparity and make the name unregisterable. Since the only dated examples that have been found for any forms of the names Ceara and Líadan date from before 1200, the originally submitted name had two weirdnesses and is not registerable. Therefore, we have retained the change from matronymic to patronymic as made at kingdom. The particle ní was not used in Gaelic in period. The pre-1200 form is ingen uí and the post-1200 form is inghean uí. We have changed the particle to be linguistically consistent (as required by RfS III.1.a) with Líadnáin which is a pre-1200 spelling. This name has one weirdness for mixing the post-1200 spelling Ceara with the pre-1200 ingen uí Líadnáin. [Ceara ingen uí Líadnáin, 10/01, A-Atlantia] |
| François la Flamme | 2001.08 | Unmarked matronymics are found in English, so this name may be viewed as a given name + matronymic. [Astrith Alexandra, 08/01, A-Trimaris] |
| François la Flamme | 2001.08 | ... in the name Aislinn Fiona of Rumm, Fiona can only be interpreted as a second given name or as an unmarked matronymic. Use of double given names and unmarked matronymics in Gaelic have both been cause for return in the past. [Aislinn Fiona of Rumm, 08/01, R-An Tir] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 2001.07 | Submitted as Caiterína ingen Máirgréc, the question was raised whether Irish metronymic bynames are registerable. They have been ruled unregisterable as recently as February 2000, for the reason that There are no known examples of metronymics in Gaelic names outside of two examples both involving royalty whose claim to the throne was through the female line.
However, recent evidence provided by Orle suggests that the situation is not quite that simple. People other than royalty were occasionally identified by their female ancestors: the Annals of Connacht have, for example, clann ingine Eogain the sons of Eogan's daughter and Sida Occ mac ingini h. Dubidir Sida Oc, the son of O Duibidir's daughter; the Annals of the Four Masters have, for instance, Mac Con Mara .i. mac inghene Uí Dálaigh Mac Namara (i.e. the son of O'Daly's daughter) and Brian mac an Chalbhaigh Uí Chonchobhair & Mairgrege Brian, the son of Calvagh O'Conor, by Margaret. Based on this new evidence we feel that a properly constructed Irish metronymic should be considered a weirdness instead of reason for a return by itself. An unmarked metronymic is still unregisterable. She asked for an authentic 10th century Irish name, but we were not able to comply with this request without changing the byname entirely. Instead, we have changed the metronymic to the grammatically correct form. We have also changed the spelling of the metronymic particle to make the name temporally consistent, since using an early form of the particle (as submitted) with a name that is only dated to late period would make the name unregisterable. [Caiterína inghean Mháirgrége, 07/01, A-Calontir] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 2000.07 | The submitter should know that metronymics, like the submitted one (which would be grammatically correct as Ólöfardóttir), were extremely rare in the Viking culture. Essentially, a metronymic byname signifies not only a bastard but one whose father is not even known. She might consider the similar-sounding patronymic Óláfsdóttir instead. [Haleya Olofsdottir, 07/00, R-Atenveldt, returned for lack of documentation of Haleya] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 2000.03 | There are no known examples of metronymics in Gaelic names outside of two examples both involving royalty whose claim to the throne was through the female line. [Móirne inghean Étaín, 03/00, R-Caid] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 2000.02 | 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] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 2000.02 | Submitted as Ailesh nic Rose ni Malone, the submitter requested and authentic 11th century Irish name meaning "Ailesh, daughter of Rose of the clan Malone." ... 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. [Alis ni Malone, 02/00, A-Ansteorra] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 2000.02 | 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] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 1999.09 | 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-Artemisia] |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1998.08 | [István Nyiregyhazi] The question was raised as to which is the appropriate form for Hungarian names, with the given name first or the byname first. Hungarian names may be registered with either the given name or byname as the first element, except when the byname is an unmarked patronym or metronym. In that case, the byname should follow the given name; this is consistent with Hungarian practice through the mid 16th century, and should help to avoid future confusion. Our thanks to Lord Walraven van Nijmegen for providing this information for us. [For a longer discussion of this ruling see the Cover Letter to the August 1998 Laurel letter.] (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR August 1998, p. 7) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1997.11 | To the best of our knowledge, Gaelic did not use metronymics, so an all Gaelic form of the name as a metronomic would not be registrable. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR November 1997, p. 12) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 2nd year) | 1996.05 | [Sadira bint Raya al-Asiri] it still does not appear that metronymics based on personal names were used in Arabic-speaking cultures. Laurel has found just one example (apart from the inherently exceptional 'Isa ibn Maryam 'Jesus son of Mary'), and Ensign has one example of a metronymic apparently based on the mother's occupational byname. This latter discovery indicates the desirability of further research, but for now the overwhelming weight of cultural and onomastic evidence argues against overturning the precedents against registering Arabic metronymics. (Talan Gwynek, LoAR May 1996, p. 24) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 2nd year) | 1996.04 | According to Shield, Russian patronymics served primarily to prove inheritance, which passed through the male line. Given the extremely low status of women in period Russia, it is hard indeed to imagine circumstances in which anyone would bother to record the identity of someone's grandmother, especially when the father was known. ... We would be very hesitant to register a Russian name with a 'grand-metronymic' in the future ... without actual documentation for such a form. (Talan Gwynek, LoAR April 1996, p. 7) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 2nd year) | 1995.12 | [Umm Yaasmeen Sahar]] The kunya (honorific) Umm Yaasmeen `mother of Yaasmeen' is in effect an `upside-down metronymic'; and just as metronymics do not seem to have been part of Arabic naming practice, no one has found a kunya based on a feminine name. We have previously returned Arabic names for incorporating metronymics (e.g., Raym 'Inan bint Rabi'ah, Atenveldt, 8/95 LoAR, and Aliyah bint Leyla, Middle, 4/94 LoAR); given the equal lack of evidence for the reciprocal practice and its equal implausibility in the male-oriented Arab culture, consistency requires that we return this name as well. (Talan Gwynek, LoAR December 1995, p. 23) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 1st year) | 1994.04 | [Returning _liyah bint Leyl_.] The Arabs do not seem to have used matronymic formations (which this is) in their names, either in period or since. Of only two instances in history which Laurel has found in his researches, one was 'Isa ibn Maryam (Jesus the son of Mary), which was clearly a special case. [4/94, p.19] |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (1st year of 1st tenure) | 1990.10 | [Returning Shala bint Samia Shashati] While Shala is a reasonable transliteration of the Arabic name often transliterated as Shahlaa, and while Samia could be considered as an acceptable alternative to the name Samihah, no evidence was presented to support Shashati, nor was the use of a matronymic in Arabic documented. (LoAR 10/90 p.16). |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (1st year of 1st tenure) | 1990.09 | [Hagarson] "Regarding the matronymic, sufficient examples were presented by various commenters to show a 'pattern of use' of forming patronymics and matronymics in Scandinavian and English languages from Biblical names that we feel we have to allow this. (Mind you, we do not like helping to perpetuate a misconception that 'Hagar' is a Norse name simply because of the popularity of a certain comic strip which prominently features a 'Viking' named Hagar.)" (LoAR 9/90 p.7). |
| Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane | 1987.05.24 | While there is evidence that the "-ovna" ending is only used with the father's name (i.e., metronymics of general ancestral names are not commonly used in Russian), the general use of metronymics in the Society in contexts where the mundane world might not use them would seem to justify the extreme nervousness this name induced in many of the members of the College of Arms. (LoAR 24 May 87, p. 11) |