[ANSTHRLD] Name Documentation needed

[tmcd at panix.com]

On Fri, 3 Feb 2006, Suren Unegen <commander at mongounegen.com> wrote:
> I am trying to see if there is any documentation on the name
> "Reynard"

Given name?  Surname?  Either?

> Also in regards to place names used can they be fictitious or do
> they need to be form an actual region?

The Rules for Submission help here.  I trimmed parts that don't seem
applicable to that question (the trimming is indicated by "..."):

                                     NAME RULES

                        PART II --- COMPATIBLE NAME CONTENT

     Every word in a Society name must be compatible with period
     naming practices, as is required by General Principle I.1.a of
     these rules.  This section defines the categories of words that
     the College of Arms has generally found to be compatible.

     1.  Documented Names - Documented names, including given names,
     bynames, place names, and valid variants and diminutives formed
     in a period manner, may be used in the same manner in which they
     were used in period sources. ...

     2.  Constructed Names - Documented names and words may be used to
     form place names, patronymics, epithets, and other names in a
     period manner.

     Constructed forms must follow the rules for formation of the
     appropriate category of name element in the language from which
     the documented components are drawn.  For instance, the standard
     male patronymic in Old Norse consists of the possessive form of
     the father's name joined to the word "son", like "Sveinsson" is
     the son of Svein.  The documented Old Norse given name
     "Bjartmarr" could be used in this construction to form
     "Bjartmarsson", even if this particular patronymic was not found
     in period sources.  Similarly, German towns on rivers regularly
     use the name of the river with the word "brueck", like
     "Innsbrueck", to indicate the town had a bridge over that river.
     A new branch could use the documented German name of the river
     "Donau" to construct the name "Donaubrueck".

     3.  Invented Names - New name elements, whether invented by the
     submitter or borrowed from a literary source, may be used if they
     follow the rules for name formation from a linguistic tradition
     compatible with the domain of the Society and the name elements
     used.

     Name elements may be created following patterns demonstrated to
     have been followed in period naming.  Old English given names,
     for instance, are frequently composed of two syllables from a
     specific pool of name elements.  The given name "AElfmund" could
     be created using syllables from the documented names "AElfgar"
     and "Eadmund" following the pattern established by similar names
     in Old English.  Other kinds of patterns can also be found in
     period naming, such as patterns of meaning, description, or
     sound.  Such patterns, if sufficiently defined, may also be used
     to invent new name elements.  There is a pattern of using kinds
     of animals in the English place names "Oxford", "Swinford" and
     "Hartford", and so a case could be made for inventing a similar
     name like "Sheepford".  No name will be disqualified based solely
     on its source.

     a.  Invented name elements may not consist of randomly arranged
     sounds or characters.

     Use of components of name elements without reference to a period
     naming pattern, such as combining the syllables of "AElfgar" and
     "Eadmund" to form "AElfmunead", will not be allowed.  Similarly,
     patterns from one language or tradition may not be applied to
     elements from a different language.  The existence of the two
     syllable pattern in Old English cannot justify combining
     syllables from the Spanish names "Pedro" and "Jose" to invent
     "Pese".  "Elulol" and "Myzzlyk", which create nonsense syllables
     and link them without reference to any period pattern, are also
     not acceptable.

     b.  Invented given names may not be identical to any other word
     unless a strong pattern of use of a class of words as given names
     in the same language is documented.

     Although "China", "Random" and "Starhawk" have been used as given
     names in recent fantasy literature, they may not be registered
     without evidence that names of countries, adjectives, or epithets
     were regularly used as English given names in period.

     4.  Legal Names - Elements of the submitter's legal name may be
     used as the corresponding part of a Society name, if such elements
     are not excessively obtrusive and do not violate other sections of
     these rules. ...

     5.  Registered Names - Once a name has been registered to an
     individual or group, the College of Arms may permit that
     particular individual or group to register elements of that name
     again, even if it is no longer permissible under the rules in
     effect at the time the later submission is made.  This permission
     may be extended to close relatives of the submitter if the College
     of Arms deems it appropriate. ...

Ddaned dde Lyngoln
-- 
"Me, I love the USA; I never miss an episode." -- Paul "Fruitbat" Sleigh
Tim McDaniel; Reply-To: tmcd at panix.com