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Author Topic: Medieval Names
mayflower988
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Can anyone tell me where I can find a good, reliable list of medieval names? I'd prefer to find some that were actually used in medieval Europe, but since I'm writing (well, editing) fantasy, historical accuracy is just a preference rather than a requirement. I especially need female names; I've got more characters than names right now.
(When I wrote my first draft and needed a name, I'd either put down the first one that popped into my head or just a letter. So I have a nun named Sister F.) :)

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extrinsic
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Medieval naming conventions took names from the Bible. All female names might be easily remedied by researching there or more easily yet from the U.S. 1990 Census lists of most common given names, female.

Census names list index.

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redux
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http://writemedieval.livejournal.com/
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MattLeo
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Easiest approach is to go to some Wikipedia article on a historical event from the period and location you are interested in, and pick it and its immediately linked articles over for names.

For example, there's the White Ship Disaster (Norman England, 1120 CE), which yields a bounty of twelfth century Norman, French, Norman French, and Anglo-Norman names. The Battle of Maldon yields 10th C Anglo Saxon and Scandinavian Names. If you had a Central European character from roughly the same period you could consult the entry on Bohemia in the Middle Ages (Vladislav/Vladislaus, Henry of Bohemia/Jindřich Korutanský, Bretislav/Bretislaus, Friedrich Barbarossa,Ottokar,Philip von Schwaben etc.)

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Kathleen Dalton Woodbury
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I'm not sure some of those sources will help much with female names, MattLeo. Though you can try to feminize a male name, mayflower988, and that might work.

Some Bible names you could use: Mary, Sarah, Elizabeth, Ruth, Rachel, Rebecca, Deborah, Judith, Huldah, Rhoda, Lois, Tabitha, Dorcas, Dinah, Naomi, Miriam, Phebe, and Asenath.

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Kathleen Dalton Woodbury
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extrinsic, the most recent US census that is searchable is the 1940 census. If you meant the 1890 census, that one was mostly destroyed, so it can't be searched either.

The earliest US census with names of females included is the 1850 census, but they started including female names in the 1841 census in the UK.

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aspirit
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Medieval Names Archive (used by the Society for Creative Anachronism, an international medieval re-creation group)
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extrinsic
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The link I posted is to data extracted from the 1990 census and available from the Census Bureau website. The female given names list contains 4,275 most common female given names. The male list contains 1,219 most common male given names. The all last names list contains 88,799 most common surnames. The data set used was for 6.3 million people.

Every given name has a meaning. For example, Earlene means shield in Spanish. Shane means God is Gracious from Hebrew origin, according to baby naming sites. Many websites suggesting baby names give listings of names and their meanings and origins.

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would be just as sweet." (Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet).

Given names and surnames strongly influence a person's identity. In writing, name selection may have equal influence.

Since part of mayflower988's novel is set in an abbey and its surrounding milieu--clerics' names are Biblical names or saints taken upon affirmation of vows. A nun might have originally been named Alice Carteret, but chooses to be named Sister Mary Martha of the Sacred Heart. Biblical names are required for clerics in the medieval ages and through today. To a lesser degree, Biblical given names or saints names were required for baptism in the medieval ages into the one faith. Less so now.

[ August 05, 2013, 09:58 PM: Message edited by: extrinsic ]

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LDWriter2
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quote:
Originally posted by redux:
http://writemedieval.livejournal.com/

Thanks I needed that too.

Is there a similar one for Western--as in cowboys-names and terms?

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Kathleen Dalton Woodbury
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quote:
Originally posted by extrinsic:
The link I posted is to data extracted from the 1990 census and available from the Census Bureau website.

Interesting! I wasn't aware of that. Thank you, extrinsic.
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redux
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This is a good site for cowboy (and cowgirl) names.

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-cowboys.html

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hoptoad
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man, do your own googling, mayflower [Wink]
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extrinsic
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The Poet's Journey is solitary enough, that writers networking through online venues by asking research questions derive companionship, experience differing or dissenting views, and perhaps learn related details, facts, or beliefs that might not be given by online resources.
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