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How did people name their children in the Middle Ages? Why did we start using surnames? And what were the most popular names? HistoryExtra content director Dr David Musgrove chats to Dr James Chetwood about the way people’s personal names changed dramatically over the course of the Middle Ages, and what this tells us about medieval society 
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Two weeks ago I posted George Redmond's top 50 national totals for first names for men and women living in 1377-81 in England. This compiled from male names from 10 counties and female names from 10 counties in the Poll Tax returns of 1377-81 combined to produce a nationa
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Here’s a fun one! It’s from a survey of Glastonbury Abbey in 1189. The 12th C is a fascinating transition period in onomastics in the Isles, as one sees the Old English names fall in popularity, and the new Norman names come rushing up to fill the void. But of course it’s not just a matter of Old English versus Norman; one can’t forget the other native Celtic names some of which managed to hang on, or the rising popularity of Greek and Hebrew saints’ names, or the developments towards the 13th C fad for fantastically lyrical names of Latin origin. Of all of these interplaying factors, today’s name can possibly be fit onto the last.
Clare's insight:
This may not even be a name at all: see the comments.
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Today’s name is one for the Anglo-Saxonists — what is the Old English root of this Latinized Middle English name? And do we have the right standardized form (which, at this point, is pretty much just a guess based on gut feeling and intuition, and not anything substantive).
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Which were the top names of the Elizabethan era?
Clare's insight:
This post does more than it says on the tin: we also get bonus 13th-century and 11th-century names, yay!
Kara @ The Art of Naming's curator insight,
November 5, 2013 2:00 PM
The 11th century names are fascinating! But my favorites are in the 13th century list. |
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Every Monday we will post an entry that hasn't yet been published with a view towards harnessing the collective onomastic power of the internet. If you have any thoughts about the name's origin, other variants it might be related to, other examples of its use, etc., please share them in the comments! If you wish…
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In 1377-1381, the Hundred Years wars have been raging for forty years, and Edward III has just died after his 50-year reign, leaving his grandson, Richard, as heir. Below are the top 50 national totals for first names for men and women living in 1377-81 in England, collated b
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We're currently working records from manorial court cases in England between 1250 and 1550 (namely, this source), and are now in the 1320s and 1330s. One of the things that I love about court cases is how ordinary the names are; these are ordinary people, living ordinary lives. They are not royalty, they are not…
Clare's insight:
Ooh, Malota (would that be Mallot in the vernacular?) as a diminutive of Mary! What a great source.
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Iden is an English surname which comes from the village of Iden near Rye in East Sussex, whose name in Old English means "woodland pasture where yew trees grow". The Iden family were once Lords of the Manor in this village, Anglo-Normans who took their surname from the village. A famous member of the Iden…
Clare's insight:
Another new name for me today!
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Featuring men called Alfred and Godwin who had very unfortunate bynames...