[ANSTHRLD] French surname assistance, 14th c.

[Lisa Theriot]

Antoine wrote:

[I'm trying to find a surname that will help with canting arms for a
client. She has greyhounds on her proposed device and would like her
name to cant on that.  French for greyhound is "Lévrier," but "levrette"
is the term for a female greyhound.  I've found a famous 18th c.
obstetrician with the surname LEVRET, which is promising, but I'm not
sure where to look to trace its origin.  Thoughts?]

Dauzat says that the names Levrat, Levret, Levrel, etc. are variants of
Lievre, which he further says is a common sobriquet for cowards as the
rabbit is emblematic of cowards, i.e., "scared as a rabbit."  I am
charmed, however, by the notion of an obstetrician named "Rabbit." ;)
Personally, I would stay FAR AWAY from names formed on levrette, as it
is used for both "bitch" and "doggy style" en francais, and you don't
want people getting the wrong idea. O.o

The further question is what names you can find in period.
Unfortunately, Dauzat rarely gives dates, and not every name in Dauzat
is supportable in period.  I find record of <Yzabeau Levrat> getting
married in Lyon between 1600 and 1625, which at least puts it in the
gray area (one assumes she was not married shortly after her birth).
http://www.cm69.com/servletSite.ao?type_nom=tous+les+noms&Type_rech=comm
en%E7ant+par&nom=levr&Btn_rech=Rechercher&Destination=act_afficheResulta
ts


A <Jehan Delevre> appears in records in Bordeaux between 1470 and 1520.
http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/french/bordeaux.html

But of course, those are both based on the hare, not the dog coursing
after it.  Dauzat, regarding Levrier, is torn as to whether it is a
descriptive for someone "agile like a greyhound" or an occupational name
for a trainer of greyhounds, which is presumably what your client is
after.

Oh, look, help from our Pelican Queen of Arms.  See her article on
medieval orders:
http://medievalscotland.org/jes/OrderNames/Fraternal_Knightly_Organizati
ons.shtml

She dates the order name "Alliance et Compagnie du Levrier" to circa
1410-1420.  I would be totally unsurprised to find a knight member of
such a company referring to himself as, say, Jehan du Levrier.  

There is also someone surnamed Le Levrier dated to 1421 here:
http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/french/paris1423surnames.html


[Another question has also arisen, though.  In 14th c. France, would a
man and his wife have shared a common surname?]

That depends on a number of factors.  In general, I would say no; when
we take lists of names off tax rolls, we see men and women, but very
rarely what seem to be a husband and wife with the same surname.  It
seems like you turn up based on who has the wealth, so if the woman has
money, she turns up under her own name.  I would not be surprised to see
a widow who inherited a business from her husband also assume his name,
though.  I would say the more important the woman (or her family) was
before her marriage, the less likely she will ever take her husband's
name.


Adelaide