[ANSTHRLD] name pronunciation and other questions

[tmcd at panix.com]

On Thu, 23 Feb 2006, Hedwig von Luneborg <lochherald at gmail.com> wrote:
> She would like to use her modern maiden name as her last name and if
> I am correct she is allowed to do so as long as she sends valid
> documentation...McGee is the lat name BTW.

Not precisely: RfS II.4 says

    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.

Mixing Irish Gaelic Fionnghuala with Anglicized Irish McGee would
normally be one step from period practice (== just barely on the safe
side of return), but I don't know if that applies with the Legal Name
allowance.

>    I also have a gentle who would like to document his name, "John
> the Loud" in Gaelic/Irish/Celt.  He really wants "Ian" for John but
> other than a modern Irish dictionary we (meaning I have no clue) are
> having a hard time finding where to look for a good descriptive name
> equivalent to "the loud".

Saying that a byname is a word in a dictionary is not sufficient
documentation, though sometimes it can help in further research.
There are hundreds of thousands of words in dictionaries that were
never used as bynames and are not related to any bynames that were
used.

Is he amenable to a period-style name?  By far the most common name
pattern for Irishmen was "<given name> mac <father's given name>".
If he is amenable, you could point him at

    Quick and Easy Gaelic Names, by Sharon Krossa
        An excellent general guide to building a typical Gaelic
        name. Start here!

which is at
<http://www.medievalscotland.org/scotnames/quickgaelicbynames/>
If he can find a name that he's totally happy with AND that's
perfectly period, I think that's optimal all around.
(Of course, maybe he just wants what he wants, and he's the one who
has to live with the name the most.)

Anyway, the Academy of Saint Gabriel, at <http://www.s-gabriel.org/>,
is an excellent source for medieval name info.  They have the Medieval
Names Archive (MNA) link on that page; follow thru and the Irish
articles are linked to from
<http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/irish.shtml>.

If there was a descriptive byname, which was rare, it was usually a
concrete physical characteristic (Big, Tall, Black [haired], Blind,
Left-handed, Crooked, Freckled, ...)  The Medieval Names Archive (MNA)
article that lists male descriptive bynames does not show a
characteristic like "Loud": the closest ones I see are what I would
describe as psychological states, like Mad, Merry, Surly, Rough,
Greedy, and such.

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