[ANSTHRLD] Okay I'm a little confused now.

[kobrien at texas.net]

> It's actually way more broad and specific than that.  To get a thorough
> idea 
> of exactly what's allowed, you kinda need to get familiar with 4 areas:
> 
> 1) RfS 2.4
> http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/rfs.html#2.4
> 
> 2) Admin Handbook, III.A.9
> http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/admin.html#III_A
> 
> 3) Past "Legal Name Allowance" precedents
> 
http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/precedents/CompiledNamePrecedents/LegalName
> Allowance.html
> 
> 4) Past "Conflict" precedents regarding required difference between your
> SCA 
> name and your Legal name or a "Use" name you would reasonably use.
> 
http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/precedents/CompiledNamePrecedents/Conflict.
> html#Mundane_Name
> 
> Ack!  I just got called to a meeting.  I'll send a followup email in a
> little bit finishing my train of thought.
> 
> The basic is that you can register an SCA name that is AT LEAST one
> syllable and one visual difference from your Legal/Use names.  I'll go
> into this more in a bit.


Here's the follow message I promised:


The Legal Name Allowance allows you to:
- register one or more elements of your Legal Name as part of your SCA name
	- you must provide a copy of a legal document showing the name 
	  element(s)
		(Note: you can black out stuff on the copy like a driver's 
		license number, don't black out the name, though)
	- you only automatically qualify for the spelling(s) shown on the 
	  document
- There must be at LEAST one noticable difference (both sound and appearance) 
between your SCA name and your legal name (also any "use" name that you might 
reasonably use).

Common misconceptions and/or misunderstandings:

1) you can register only one element from your legal name.  - Wrong; you can 
register as many as you like so long as there is at least one sound and one 
visual difference between your SCA name and your Legal name (or any 
reasonable "use" name you could use).

2) middle names are registerable as given names.  - Wrong; middle names are 
registerable by their inherent period "type".  For example, "Ashley" was an 
English placename in period.)

3) legal name elements are only registerable by their position in your legal 
name.  - Wrong.  In addition to the "middle name by type" requirement, you 
have the option of registering your name element by "type" instead of by 
position in your legal name.  For example, if "Alexander" is your last name, 
it may be registered as the given name in your SCA name because it is was 
used as a given name in period.

4) the standard of difference between your SCA name and your Legal (or "use") 
names is the same as for other conflict.  - Wrong; the standard is lower.  
Instead of a "significant" difference in sound and appearance, a lower 
standard of difference is required.  Basically, it has to be a noticible 
difference, not a significant difference.  For example, in SCA name versus 
someone else's already registered SCA name, particles like "de" and "of" do 
not count for difference.  However, they do count for difference between a 
person's SCA name and their Legal (or "use") names.

5) non-period legal name elements are always registerable.  - Wrong; elements 
from your legal given name are registerable so long as they are 
not "excessively, obtrusive".  For example, someone who's Legal given name 
was "Legend" had the SCA name of <Legend of [his group name]> returned.

6) legal name elements may be combined with any period name element to form 
an SCA name.  - Wrong; the combination may be returned if the combination 
is "excessibly, obtrusive".  For example, the name <Ciarmhac Sayenga> was 
returned in 07/2000.  If I remember correctly, <Sayenga> was his legal last 
name and it was from an Eastern European language (Hungarian maybe?  Or 
Croatian?  I can't recall offhand.)  When that last name was combined with an 
Irish Gaelic first name, the combination was found to be "excessively, 
obtrusive".  (My bet is that a continental or Russian given name would have 
been fine, but it would have depended on the name element.)

Here are a couple of examples to illustrate these issues:

EXAMPLE 1:

Legal Name: Mark Denis Wilton
Some people use their first name as their "given name".  Some use their 
middle name.  Some use both.  So, reasonable use names for this individual 
include:
Mark D. Wilton
Mark Wilton
Denis Wilton
Mark
Denis
Mark Denis

What could he register via the Legal Name Allowance?

SCA Name: Mark of Wilton - registerable ("of" = 1 sound and 1 visual 
difference from nearest "use" name)

SCA Name: Mark de Wilton - not registerable (no real sound difference from 
use name "Mark D. Wilton")

SCA Name: Mark Denis de Wilton - registerable ("de" = 1 sound and 1 visual 
difference from nearest "use" name)

SCA Name: Mark Denis - not registerable (equals use name of "Mark Denis")

SCA Name: Denis Wilton - not registerable (equals use name of "Denis Wilton")

SCA Name: Denis de Wilton - registerable ("de" = 1 sound and 1 visual 
difference from nearest "use" name)

SCA Name: Denis Mark Wilton - registerable (reversal of "Mark" and "Denis" 
create a significant change in both sound and appearance)


EXAMPLE 2:
Legal Name: Ashley Marie Morgan
Reasonable "Use" Names:
	Ashley Morgan
	Ashley M. Morgan
	Marie Morgan
	Ashley
	Marie
	Ashley Marie

What could she register via the Legal Name Allowance?

registerable SCA Names: 
	Morgan Ashley
	Morgan de Ashley
	Marie de Ashley
	Marie Ashley
	Morgan Marie (registerable because unmarked matronymic bynames 
appeared in English in period)
	Marie Morgan de Ashley


This was probably waaaaaaay more information that folks were looking for, but 
I don't think I've ever seen the various bits and pieces of the Legal Name 
Allowance discussed all in one place in depth.  You get discussions on one 
aspect of it or another aspect of it, but not the whole thing together.

After reading this, if anyone has any questions, please speak up.  I'd be 
glad to answer questions.

Mari