Copyright © 1995 - Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc.
The 2nd Tenure of Da'ud Ibn Auda (1st year)
Arabic[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]
[T]he name was not constructed according to any known period pattern. Arabic names were not formed by stringing given names together. [2/94, p.13]
The submitters have not demonstrated a practice of placenames derived from laqabs, nor could any of the commenters lend support to this formation. Neither does the cited example of Cairo (al-Qáhirah, "the Victorious") support this name. Originally called al-Mansúriyyah, it later became al-Qáhirah al-Mu'izziyyah, "the victorious [city] of [the Fatimid Caliph] Mu'izz [li-Dín alláh]", similar to the fashion by which "The City of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels" (el pueblo de nuestra señora la reina de los angeles) became Los Angeles. [2/94, p.19]
None of the Arabic-speaking peoples appear to have formed names using a double given name. [12a/93, p.21]
[Returning Alastar the Arcane.] It is very unlikely that a rare, scholarly word (meaning "hidden") borrowed from Latin in very late period would have been used as a byname in our period of study. [Also in violation of RFS I.3.] [5/94, p.15]
[Returning Eirik the Wandering.] No one was able to document an authentic English byname formed from the present participle of a word. [5/94, p.16]
[Returning Eduardo Negro y Albo.] We need some documentation for the form of the byname; none of the commenters cited any examples of "[surname] y [surname]" to period. It is especially needed here, where the byname literally means "black and white". [5/94, p.19]
Submitted as Jean Baylard Silverswan, we have dropped the problematic element. The examples given in the LoI do not adequately support the construction of Silverswan, nor were any of the commenters able to adequately justify it. [4/94, p.11]
[Returning Wilhelm the Red Hawk of Brandenburg.] The Red Hawk does not appear to be a reasonable English byname, particularly in conjunction with the German form of the given name. The example of Albert the Bear of Brandenburg does not sufficiently support the form for the [color + animal] of Brandenburg. [4/94, p.15]
[Returning Andrew Scarhart.] One example of a byname formed in a verb plus noun pattern does not adequately support any and all combinations of verbs plus nouns. Most of the commenters found the byname extremely unlikely, especially given the very late date for this meaning of "scar". Bynames of this nature date from much earlier than the 1555 citation for scar. [4/94, p.15]
[Returning Deirdre the Distracted.] While the LoI documented the word "distract" to very late period, no evidence was presented, nor could any of the commenters find any, to demonstrate that epithetical nicknames were constructed in this way from a fairly abstract past participle. Without such evidence, we are unable to register this. [4/94, p.15]
[Returning Teresa of Winterhawke.] None of the cited examples justifies this combination in the byname (Wynterskale and Wintretune both obviously refer to places ("hut" and "town", respectively) that are used in winter). No one was able to document any kind of "winter + bird" or "winter + animal" names at all. As a descriptive surname, Winterhawke is unlikely in the extreme; as a place name, it is impossible. [4/94, p.20]
The prepositional byname placed before the given here is fine ... . [2/94, p.12]
By following the examples given by Lady Ensign of Boykin, Webkin, and Revekyn, [Wilderkyn] would appear to mean literally "little wild animal". As a consequence, this version appears to suffer from the same problem as its previous incarnation, ... Wildeorcynn (returned in the LoAR of [11/92]) [for claiming to be the same species as a deer]. [1/94, p.17]
The construction of [Bladeslayer] is not a reasonable one. "Slay" in period (or since) did not mean "to break an inanimate object". You might try recommending to him the documented Brekeblade or Breakblade (or Brekeswerd, Breaksword, Breakspear, or Brekelaunce). [12b/93, p.10]
[Stormchaser] does not appear to be formed in a style that would have been used in period. All of the bynames any of the commenters found were formed in the manner of the examples cited in the LoI, Chacepork (chase-pork) or Chasemuine (chase-monk), and even these examples were not really equivalent to the submitted byname even should it be modified to match the documented pattern (Chasestorm). [12b/93, p.14]
No documentation was evidenced by either the submitter or the commenters that "the Traveled" or anything similar in form or grammar is or was applied as an epithet in period. [12a/93, p.5]
[Registering "Breakshield"] Submitted as ... Shieldbreaker, the byname has been modified to match a documentable form. [12a/93, p.10]
No documentation was provided for the use of double surnames in French, particularly when such a combination results in the appearance of a single byname such as "the Black Gutter". [12a/93, p.16]
[Returning Caitriona a Gaoth.] The byname, meaning "the Wind", makes little more sense than her original submission. [12a/93, p.16]
[Returning Kyrin Charissa de Cameron.] [The given name was inadequately documented.] Additionally, it would appear to be a masculine name, which with Charissa would make the name one of mixed gender; while the SCA registers cross-gender names, mixed gender names have been disallowed for some time. [6/94, p.12]
[Registering David Falvy Falconer.] Submitted as David Faílbe Falconer, the combination of late period English and ancient Irish Gaelic was not at all compatible. We have submitted the Englished form. [5/94, p.2]
[Registering Sarai Rose Perlea.] Submitted as Sarai Rose Perlai, the submitted form of the placename is from the Domesday Book, and is entirely out of place with the late period form of the name. We have modified the spelling of the locative to a documented form more compatible with the remainder of the name. [5/94, p.2]
[Registering Gwenhwyvar Ainsley.] Submitted as Gwenhwyvar Ainsley a'Ghio, ... an additional problem is the dearth of evidence that a Welsh forename, an English locative surname, and a Gaelic locative surname could have come together in the name of a single individual. Gaelic, in particular, seems to resist mixed language combinations. As a consequence, we have dropped the most unlikely element in order to register the name. [5/94, p.5]
[Registering Katrine Avelina Fitzalan.] This would have been better with the given as Katerin or Katerine, as Katrine is a German form unlikely to appear in an otherwise English name. [5/94, p.11]
[Returning Mredyth Vetrgaupa.] [T]he combination of an Anglicized Welsh masculine given name with a compound Icelandic byname [is] highly improbable ... . [5/94, p.14]
[Returning Krista al Kamil.] The example of combined Arabic/Spanish names is not sufficient support for combined Swiss/Arabic names. (The submitter seemed to be confusing the Swedes and the Swiss in her documentation. Caches of Arab silver coins have been found in Scandinavia, not Switzerland. And the presence of Arabic silver coins in Sweden is only evidence that the trade routes extended that far, not that the people at the two ends of those trade routes had any direct dealings with each other.) [5/94, p.22]
Submitted as ... o Tatershal, the Welsh "o" is out of place with the English placename. The simplest course was to simply drop it. [3/94, p.2]
[Registering Aodh Marland.] Submitted as Aodh Adendra Marland, the very lengthy appeal made interesting reading. However, it was not shown that Greek bynames were used in the Gaelic countries (although the point was made for Latin bynames). Nor was it shown that "tree-less" falls into any existing pattern of classical bynames used in the Middle Ages. As a consequence we have dropped the problematic element in order to register the name. [3/94, p.3]
[Returning Frostheim, Canton of.] [It] is in conflict with Froscheim ... per RfS V.2. ... The differences in pronunciation appear to be analogous to "fish head" v. "fist head"; certainly much closer than "Auda/Ali" and not much more different than "Morgan/Morton". This is not "significantly" different. [6/94, p.13]
[Returning Domus Phoenicis.] Conflict with the Order of the Phoenix and the Shire of Fenix. As "domus" here is the designator, the difference has to come down to the difference between the singular and the plural, which here is insufficient. [6/94, p.14]
[Returning Katherine Power.] Aural conflict with Catherine Parr, sixth wife of Henry VIII. The differences between Power and Parr when pronounced are no greater than those between Morton the Gray and Morgan the Gray which have been held to conflict. [6/94, p.14]
[Returning John Quest.] Conflicts with Jonny Quest. (Yes, I know he's a cartoon character. He is also, based on the commentary and reactions among those attending the Laurel meeting, apparently sufficiently well-known to meet Baron Bruce's guidelines for conflict with cartoon characters. See Cover Letter of 5 December 1992, p. 2). The discussion in the LoI regarding the different derivations of John and Jonny are not really to the point. A significant percentage of people hearing the name John Quest will immediately think of the cartoon character (even the "non-herald" attending the Laurel meeting cited the cartoon character immediately upon hearing the name, with no other background or hints). [5/94, p.19]
[A major revision to the name rules, particularly the conflict rules. For the full, formatted text see Appendix A.] [4/94c, pp.3-8]
[Returning Rowena the Peregrine.] Conflicts with Rowan Perigrynne. The minor changes of adding an "a" to the given and the article are insufficient to clear this name. [12a/93, p.19]
[Returning Canton of Chuzan.] The name still conflicts with that of Chusan, as noted in the return of September 27, 1992. However spelled and using whatever system of transliteration, as Lady Harpy notes, Chuzan and Chusan are more similar than Morgan de Grey and Morton the Grey. [12a/93, p.23]
Two non-English submissions considered in this month's LoAR spurred a moderate amount of discussion about "folk tradition" and "common knowledge" as documentation. While the College does not exactly reject folk tradition and common knowledge, as Crescent noted, "in some circles it's common knowledge that Elvis is alive, Washington threw a dollar across the Potomac, and UFOs routinely abduct people." Hence the request for more information, for hard documentation. It is not that the College believes that these people are lying; merely that more information than a simple assertion is necessary to adequately evaluate a submission. An important principle in what we do is that all evidence is available to all of the College for evaluation. It is not at all unreasonable for submitters, and submitting heralds, to be expected to justify their assertions. We are entirely willing to accept local sources which are not generally available to us. We are also willing to accept the research of local historical societies, so long as the product of their research is reasonable. Evidence from folk tradition is in many cases not sufficiently substantiated to be admissible. At the very least it is not, in and of itself, persuasive. Similarly, evidence from pamphlets produced by local chambers of commerce and other local organizations is generally only a bit better than evidence from family histories. Only if the assertions therein are inherently plausible are they likely to be convincing, and even then it would be nice to see the entire publication in order to form an opinion about its reliability.
Most of us wouldn't trust the average English-speaker to get Early Modern English correct (witness the number of people who have trouble understanding Shakespeare!); anything earlier is even more unlikely. And there is no reason to believe that English is peculiar in this. We have no more cause to trust a modern German speaker's knowledge of Middle High German than to trust a modern English speaker's knowledge of Middle English. Native speakers of English submitting English names frequently 'know' that they are correct -- even when they are altogether wrong. Without sufficient information with which to judge the reliability of the source, or the background and training of the speaker, we cannot assume any special knowledge about period naming practice or grammar. When the documentation boils down to "because I said so", it cannot be accepted on its face. [6/94c, p.3]
[Returning Damián Daskal De Valerio.] No evidence was presented that Daskal is a period form; a book on American family names is not good documentation for our purposes, as many foreign names have undergone odd transformations in this country. [5/94, p.21]
[Returning Krista al Kamil.] None of the commenters were able to find better documentation for the given. As the submitter's own source, Family Names in Australia and New Zealand, is clearly post-period and had no dated citations for the name, the name must be assumed without better evidence to be post-period. [5/94, p.22]
[Returning Kynda of Hollyoak.] The derivation of the given name is a further stretch of conjectural elements then we are willing to go. Each single element of conjecture is not too unreasonable in itself, but the cumulative effect of all of the conjectural elements in the chain is just too much. ... [T]he number of conjectural steps to get Kynda from documented examples is about three. The College has long been willing to accept reasonable variances from documented examples, but to accept a series of three conjectural steps is more than we are willing to go. [4/94, p.18]
As several commenters noted in the discussion of Amber Lang in the attached LoAR, the registration of Amber as a given name in the SCA has been based on faulty evidence. Unless new evidence is found demonstrating the use of Amber as a given name in period, we will cease to register it after the Laurel meeting held in July 1994. [3/94c]
None of the commenters were able to document [sur la Chaise Azurée] in French, and comparable forms in English and German do not adequately support the same form in a different language (French). [3/94, p.16]
[N]o one was able to corroborate Ochiern, nor is the submitter's source (Arthur, An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names) considered a reliable one. As a consequence we have dropped the problematic element to register the name. [1/94, p.9]
[I]t has been noted many times in the past that prior registration in the SCA does not constitute adequate documentation. [1/94, p.17]
The only documentation submitted for this name was from the works of Hanks and Hodges. Fortunately, in this case, not only did Hanks and Hodges date Feliciano to the 3rd century, but Lord Palimpsest was able to support both elements of the name from other more acceptable sources. [12b/93, p.6]
The name as submitted appears to be made up of modern variants of the individual elements. It is thus incompatible with the period and domain of the Society, as required by RfS I.1. As a consequence, we are required to return this for modification to period forms or for better documentation of each element than the works of Hanks and Hodges. [12b/93, p.11]
I was distressed to see the number of names submissions whose sole documentation consisted of the bald assertion that "{X} is found in Hanks & Hodges {Surnames/Given Names} on page {x}". Except in a few cases, there were not even any accompanying photocopies of the appropriate pages. This situation is not acceptable. While Hanks and Hodges' works may be a great place to start in searching for name documentation, they are NOT the place to end that search. Very few of the entries have dates of any kind. There are many modern forms included in the entries. There are even, as there are in many general works of this kind, some errors, sometimes quite glaring. For all of these reasons, Hanks and Hodges' books are not acceptable as adequate documentation or support for an SCA name. They are especially not acceptable as the only documentation or support for an SCA name. [12a/93c]
The first element of the "name" the submitter cites appears to be volni, "free, independent", not a given name. This situation helps to dramatize one of the major reasons we require that all documentation in another language be translated into English. [12a/93, p.20]
As with the name Amber, discussed in the Cover Letter with the March 1994 LoAR, our prior registrations of Cedric appear to have been based on the supposition that there was an OE prototheme Ced-, which there does not appear to be, though it was a reasonable enough supposition on the basis of the evidence then available. Such supposition appears to have been superseded by further research. (As for Cedrych, (Gruffudd, 21) refers it to Ceidrych, which '[c]ould be a form of "Caradog" but is the name of a river in Carmarthenshire. (Bartrum, 149) has a Keidyrch, but no Ceidrych.) As a consequence, unless and until new research appears giving better historical support to the name, after the September 1994 Laurel meeting we will no longer register Cedric. [6/94c, p.2]
[Returning Gregor of Falcon's Roost.] The locative is entirely unlikely. As Harpy noted in her commentary, "The English language has � and had during period � a perfectly good technical term for the place where falcons 'roost'. It's called a 'mews'. I find it no more likely that a person in period would have felt the need to coin the term 'falcon's roost' than he would have felt the need to coin 'horse shed' to describe a stable." [5/94, p.19]
[Returning Kendrick of the Saxon Shore.] Kendrick is acceptable in this spelling only as a late period given name. The phrase "Saxon Shore" comes from a 5th Century document called the Notitia Dignitatem, which includes a list of stations under the command of an officer called comes litoris Saxonici ("Count of the Saxon Shore"). This title (not name element) dates from the late 3rd Century at the earliest, and [no] evidence of its use appears after the breakdown of Roman authority in Britain (late 5th Century). It does not appear to have been used in any other way (say, as a placename). The combination of an extremely unlikely placename, "lingua franca" or not, which would only have been used (if at all) in early period with a late period given name exceeds the "Rule of Two Weirdnesses", iterated by Baron Bruce in his May 8, 1993 Cover Letter: "If the elements of a submitted name are dated too far apart, then any other anomaly in the name may combine to force it to be returned. ... [H]enceforth, excessive temporal mismatch may contribute to a name's unacceptability; another problem with the name may cause it to be returned." (Cover Letter, May 8, 1993, p. 4) [4/94, p.18]
[Returning Kynda of Hollyoak.] The byname does not appear to be a reasonable interpolation from Holy Oakes (there are almost no examples of "holy" becoming "holly" in this type of name), nor could any of the commenters find any other exemplars of (type of tree) + (other type of tree) names. [4/94, p.18]
[Returning Teresa of Winterhawke.] None of the cited examples justifies this combination in the byname (Wynterskale and Wintretune both obviously refer to places ("hut" and "town", respectively) that are used in winter). No one was able to document any kind of "winter + bird" or "winter + animal" names at all. As a descriptive surname, Winterhawke is unlikely in the extreme; as a place name, it is impossible. [4/94, p.20]
Submitted as ... o Tatershal, the Welsh "o" is out of place with the English placename. The simplest course was to simply drop it. [3/94, p.2]
Submitted as Muirghan Ruadh of Dragoon Keep, "Dragoon" is a post-period term applied to a particular type of pistol, and only later applied to the cavalrymen who carried that pistol. It is not a period variant of "dragon". We have, therefore, dropped it in order to register the name. [3/94, p.9]
[Returning ... of Emerald Marsh.] In period the word "emerald" was applied only to the gem, not to a color. As emeralds are not normally found in marshes, the place name is extremely unlikely. Would the submitter consider "Greenmarsh"? [3/94, p.14]
[Returning Mavis Isleen Reynebaud of Falcon's Keep.] Mavis is not documented before 1891. Isleen is unlikely as a period Englishing of the Irish name Aisling, which would more likely be Anglicized as Ashling. The submitter permitted only minor changes, and we believed the changes necessary to register some form of the name went beyond this allowance. [3/94, p.15]
[Returning Kaleigh Hayes.] Kaleigh is not at all a reasonable English respelling of the Irish Ceallach. As Palimpsest noted, "Ceallach is and was pronounced with a final hard ch as in German ach or Gaelic loch; when this sound occurs in English, it is generally rendered ch, so it's unlikely that any Englishing would differ much from the Irish spellings." [3/94, p.20]
[Returning Swamp Keype.] Given the combination of weak evidence for this spelling of the noun "keep", the ... splitting into two parts ... (not a common English period practice, under the best circumstances) and then modifying the spelling of only the last element, we find the combination highly unlikely. [3/94, p.20]
Only Green Anchor, among all the commenters, was able to find any support for [of Wolf's End], and even that is a bit of a stretch, since none of the examples of "End" he found had an animal with them. [1/94, p.15]
[Registering Canton of Wintersedge.] Submitted as Canton of Winter's Edge. We have modified the name to match the grammar of the name with the documented form for English place names. [12b/93, p.8]
[Returning Miranda of Halidon Hill.] Miranda was coined by Shakespeare after the close of our period. While we have often registered names used by people documented only from the "grey area" (1600-1650), fictional names from literature are more problematic. Given the relatively small number of prior registrations of Miranda, as well as the dates of these registrations, we do not feel compelled to continue registering the name as SCA-compatible. [3/94, p.18]
[Returning Catherine du Castelcoeur.] While the French have many versions of Castel{name} and Château{name}, the {name} is a given name in all but one case ("the Moor's castle"). We lack documentation for the submitted form. [3/94, p.17]
No documentation was provided for the use of double surnames in French, particularly when such a combination results in the appearance of a single byname such as "the Black Gutter". [12a/93, p.16]
[Registering Gwenhwyvar Ainsley.] Submitted as Gwenhwyvar Ainsley a'Ghio, ... an additional problem is the dearth of evidence that a Welsh forename, an English locative surname, and a Gaelic locative surname could have come together in the name of a single individual. Gaelic, in particular, seems to resist mixed language combinations. As a consequence, we have dropped the most unlikely element in order to register the name. [5/94, p.5]
[Returning David Mícheál Mac Laisre.] The name consists of three given names: Mac Laisre is a given name, not a patronymic (and since it means 'son of flame', it can't well be re-interpreted as a patronymic). No evidence has been found for the use of two given names in Irish, let alone three with no surname. That, combined with the fact that Mícheál is a modern spelling of older Míchél, while Dauíd (rather than David) is an older spelling of modern Daibhead, is sufficient cause for return. [5/94, p.15]
As noted by the submitter, Irish has indeed undergone great changes. But the language still has a real grammatical structure; it isn't chaotic. Joyce's statement to the effect that Irish 'degenerated' after the Anglo-Norman invasion is more a matter of taste than historical fact; it would be safer to say simply that it changed. The loss of 'pure grammatical forms' to which he refers need be nothing more than the difference between Middle Irish and Early Modern Irish. Certainly there is no reason to suppose that he is describing a complete breakdown of the underlying grammatical system. The Norman invasion caused a breakdown only in the strongly and artificially conservative tradition of written Irish. [5/94, p.16]
[Returning Eibhlin Niccluir.] The "patronymic" is unattested in the documentation. The only variant discussed in the documentation (dated to 1637) is Makcluir. Further, as an anglicized variant it is unlikely to have been combined with a Gaelic borrowing of the Norman Avelina and Emeline. The combination of two unlikely components is sufficient to cause return for rework and/or better documentation. [5/94, p.18]
[Returning Elspeth nic Léighinn.] The byname does not appear to be properly constructed. Léighinn is the genitive singular of léigheann, and is defined as 'reading, learning; a lesson, a branch of studies'. While mac léighinn is defined as 'a scholar, a student', it isn't a patronymic name and one may not then simply substitute the feminine nic for mac. [4/94, p.17]
[Registering Aodh Marland.] Submitted as Aodh Adendra Marland, the very lengthy appeal made interesting reading. However, it was not shown that Greek bynames were used in the Gaelic countries (although the point was made for Latin bynames). Nor was it shown that "tree-less" falls into any existing pattern of classical bynames used in the Middle Ages. As a consequence we have dropped the problematic element in order to register the name. [3/94, p.3]
[Returning Iain Anndra Ánraidh a'Ghleanna Sìodhaich.] The name is a confused mixture of Irish and Scottish Gaelic. While the submitter allowed minor changes, she allows minor changes only. All of the changes suggested by the onomastics experts involved greater modifications than we felt we were permitted to make under these conditions. [3/94, p.14]
[Returning Kaleigh Hayes.] Kaleigh is not at all a reasonable English respelling of the Irish Ceallach. As Palimpsest noted, "Ceallach is and was pronounced with a final hard ch as in German ach or Gaelic loch; when this sound occurs in English, it is generally rendered ch, so it's unlikely that any Englishing would differ much from the Irish spellings." [3/94, p.20]
[Registering Meadhbh ní Ruadháin.] Submitted as Medb ni Ruadhan, we have modified the spelling and grammar as the submitter's forms allowed to match the given and patronymic in period and to place the patronymic in the genitive. (The other good alternative would have been Medb ingen Ruadáin, but the registered form is closer in pronunciation to the submitted form.) [1/94, p.7]
Baron Bruce covered the issue of pretention in the form of "X of Y" in Scottish names. "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. But by and large, the use of a Scots surname with a Scots placename is acceptable for SCA use." (LoAR March 1993, p. 8) Based on that precedent, [MacLeod of Duirinish] is registrable. [1/94, p.8]
Siobhan is out of place in anything but an all-Gaelic name, being usually anglicized as "John". [1/94, p.14]
[Returning Tara ni Connmhaigh.] The prior registration of Tara as a given name hinged on the statement "If the given name and the place name [Temair] are identical in Irish, and Tara is a valid anglicization of the latter, then it should be acceptable as an anglicization of the former." The problem is that Tara is not an acceptable Anglicization of Temair; only of the genitive case of the name: Temra (pronounced approximately 'tev-ra). Tara is not an Anglicization of Temair but rather an English name for the place derived specifically from the context in which it appears as a place name (e.g., "hill of Tara"). (A similar case occurs with Erin, as a poetic English name for Ireland is based on the genitive case (Éireann) of the Irish name Éire.) Since the given name Temair would not normally be found in the genitive, it is unlikely that it would be taken into English in the genitive form. [1/94, p.18]
Additionally the byname should not use the definite article "an"; Gaelic grammar did not use the definite article in bynames in this manner. [12a/93, p.20]
[Registering Gottfried von der Schwyz.] Submitted as Gottfried von Schwyz, the locative is feminine and seems always to appear with the article ... . [6/94, p.7]
[Registering Sarah Rumoldestohter.] Submitted as Sarah Rumoldstohter, it is characteristic of German usage that the genitive is n -es rather than -s. We have corrected the patronymic accordingly. [4/94, p.3]
[Returning von Lantwüeste.] Unfortunately, none of the documentation in this appeal was strictly to the point. Compound names do not always follow the same rules as phrases. Bach notes that the first element in compounds such as this is always a place name, which Land or Lant is not. [3/94, p.16]
Den is the genitive form, and is therefore inappropriate as a given name. (The equivalent here is Dan's.) [The name was returned primarily for this reason.] [3/94, p.17]
[Registering Svatý Sebesta, College of. NOTE: The inverted carat over the "S" in "Sebesta" is not displayable in HTML coding and has been replaced with a standard "S".] 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]
[Returning Cynthia de Mantegna.] The preposition "de" is out of place here; were Mantegna either a placename or a given name, it would work, but Mantegna was only documented as a surname. [6/94, p.13]
The prepositional byname placed before the given here is fine ... . [2/94, p.12]
Submitted as ... St. ..., as most of the commenters noted, we do not register the scribal abbreviation, though the submitter is certainly allowed to use it. [1/94, p.2]
[Registering Meadhbh ní Ruadháin.] Submitted as Medb ni Ruadhan, we have modified the spelling and grammar as the submitter's forms allowed to match the given and patronymic in period and to place the patronymic in the genitive. (The other good alternative would have been Medb ingen Ruadáin, but the registered form is closer in pronunciation to the submitted form.) [1/94, p.7]
[Registering ferch Rhys.] Submitted as ... ni Rhys ...; we have modified the patronymic particle to match the language of the patronym. [1/94, p.7]
[Returning Monsdraconis.] The grammar appears to be incorrect; normal Latin formation would keep the elements separate as either Mons Draco (dragon mountain) or as Mons Draconis (dragon's mountain). In addition, the locative would almost certainly use the preposition de, which takes the ablative case, as de Monte Dracone or de Monte Draconis. [1/94, p.13]
[T]he name was modified to correct the grammar by better matching the spelling of the given and the byname temporally. [12a/93, p.3]
[Returning Curstaidh.] While the submitter allowed minor changes to the name, and while Lord Palimpsest could document the form Kirsty ..., we felt that such a change exceeded the permissible "minor changes to grammar/spelling only". [12a/93, p.15]
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