SCA Heraldry

    • The Kingdom of Ansteorra College of Heralds
    • Heraldry in the SCA
    • Blazen Pattern Search
    • Archive of Laurel Letters

    Generic Information

    • How do I Find an SCA Name and Arms? by Alan Terlep (Alan Fairfax). Taken from our FAQ.
    • The Little Things by David Friedman (Cariadoc of the Bow). An extremely helpful guide to being "in persona" within the SCA. Essential reading for anyone interested in persona development.
    • Finding Your Family Coat of Arms An explanation of "family arms" by Alan Terlep (Alan Fairfax)
    • Under-Represented SCA Cultures, by Alan Terlep (Alan Fairfax)
    • Basic Heraldry Books
    • Good and Bad Sources for Documenting a Name A brief explanation of what you can, and can't, use to document a name.
    • Scottish Names 101, by Sharon Krossa (Effric neyn Kenyeoch vicralte). Necessary information for anyone creating a Scottish name. If you're interested in a Scottish persona, you should read this.
    • A Survey of the History of English Place Names by Triste Elliot (Cateline de la Mor). A good introduction to English place names. Great for new groups looking for names.
    • The Thesaurus of Geographic Names
    • An Onomastikon (Dictionary of Names)
    • Webpages of names to be avoided

    Academy of Saint Gabriel

    • Academy of Saint Gabriel

    Information on Names and Naming

    • Index of /heraldry/laurel/names
    • Asia
    • Byzantium
    • Eastern Europe
    • England
    • France
    • Germany
    • Hungary
    • Islam/Middle East
    • Ireland
    • Italy
    • Judaism
    • Low Countries
    • Romany Names
    • Russia
    • Scandinavia
    • Scotland
    • Spain/Iberian Peninsula
    • Wales
    • The Problem Names Project
    • References for Pre-Medieval Names
    • Miscellaneous Name References
    • Miscellaneous Heraldry References

    Asia

    • On the Documentation and Construction of Period Mongolian Names, by Mike Farrell (Baras-aghur Naran). An introduction to Mongolian naming, with extensive background and some examples.
    • Bibliography of Chinese Names
    • Bibliography for Japanese Names and Armory

    Byzantium

    • Common Names of the Aristocracy in the Roman Empire During the 6th and 7th Centuries by Berret Chavez (Bardas Xiphias). Lists of masculine and feminine names with relative frequencies.
    • Personal Names of the Aristocracy in the Roman Empire during the Later Byzantine Era, by Berret Chavez (Bardas Xiphias). A thorough discussion of name structure, with tables of masculine and feminine given names and of surnames..
    • Byzantines in Renaissance Italy
    • Personal Names

    Eastern Europe

    We have seperate entries for
    Hungary and Russia.
    • Polish Given Names in Nazwiska Polaksów by Brian Speer & Josh Mittleman (Walraven van Nijmegen & Arval Benicoeur). About 250 mens' names and 25 women's names from period sources.
    • Bibliography for Czech Names
    • Bibliography for Polish Names
    • Bibliography for Other Slavic Names

    England

    • A Survey of the History of English Place Names by Triste Elliot (Cateline de la Mor). A good introduction to English place names. Great for new groups looking for names.
    • Anglo-Saxon Names from Bede, by Jodi McMaster (Ælfwyn aet Gyrwum). 70 men's names and 20 women's names taken from Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People, written in the 8th century.
    • The First Thousand Years of British Names , by Heather Rose Jones. A guide to Welsh and British names up to the year 1000.
    • 1066 List of Knights, at Olive Tree Enterprises. A list of names of knights who accompanied William the Conqueror, listed by surname.
    • Jewish Naming Conventions in Angevin England, by Eleazar ha-Levi. A discussion of names for English Jews from 1070-1290. Well over a hundred examples are included.
    • Feminine Given Names in A Dictionary of British Surnames by Brian Scott (Talan Gwynek). Over 1500 English women's names, each with variant forms. Most date from 1100-1450, with a few later-period citations.
    • A Statistical Survey of Given Names in Essex Co., England, 1182-1272 by Susan Carroll-Clark (Nicolaa de Braxton). An analysis of thousands of names, organized alphabetically and by frequency. It's got a long introduction; links to the name lists are at the bottom.
    • Given Names from 13th Century England by Brian Scott (Talan Gwynek). Names of 877 men and 168 women taken from manors across England between 1230 and 1247.
    • Lay Subsidies transcribed by Dr. Dave Postles. Tax lists from the 13th and 14th centuries. Not indexed, but contains thousands of personal names and hundreds of place names as they were recorded.
    • Yorkshire Feminine Names from 1379 by Brian Scott (Talan Gwynek). A list of 1794 women's names from a tax roll, with variant forms. The names in this list were recorded in Latin.
    • Yorkshire Masculine Names from 1379 by Brian Scott (Talan Gwynek). A list of 1655 men's names from a tax roll, with variant forms. The names in this list were recorded in Latin.
    • The Battle of Agincourt Honor Roll, from Family Chronicle. Almost 1000 participants in the Battle of Agincourt, 1415.
    • English Names from Pre-1600 Brass Inscriptions, by Janell Lovelace (Julian Goodwyn). An analysis of names collected from a survey of English funerary brasses. The data range from the 12th to the 16th century, but are predominantly 15th and 16th century, and include over 1600 men and 800 women.
    • Late 16th Century English Given Names by Brian Scott (Talan Gwynek). A detailed analysis of 6000 men's names and 650 women's names taken from court records in Canterbury from 1581-1595.
    • Mayflower Web Page, by Caleb Johnson. Includes crew and passenger lists for the Mayflower and other early ships with English colonists. Close enough to our period to be helpful.
    • Passengers to New England by Geoff Sherwood and Molly Kernan. Passenger lists from two ships which sailed in the 1630's, after our period but early enough to be helpful.
    • Elizabethan Names, by Gary Kephart. Lists of masculine and feminine given names from a church register
    • Lincolnshire Lists
    • Middle English Dictionary
    • London Masters of Defense by Dylan ap Maelgwn. Although not intended primarily as a study of names, this article contains several dozen masculine names from London in the second half of the 16th century, in their original spellings.
    • Medieval English Towns
    • Bibliography of Old German and Old English Names
    • Bibliography for English Names and Armory

    France

    • Early Germanic Names from Primary Sources by Susan Carroll-Clark (Nicolaa de Braxton). A list of about 80 men's names and 20 women's names taken from primary sources between the 5th and 9th centuries.
    • Occitan Names from the 13th Century by Randall Guest (Ramons de Montauban). A list of names from an Occitan account of the Albigensian crusade, with their standard French translations. Not all the names are Occitan, but it's a useful starting point if you're looking for an Occitan name.
    • French Names from Two 13th Century Chronicles by Josh Mittleman (Arval D'Espas Nord). A list of 322 names from 13th Century France. The sample includes about 300 men's names, 20 women's names, and 300 given names.
    • Names from Thirteenth Century Languedoc by Triste Elliot (Cateline de la Mor). A dozen names each of men and women from around 1240.
    • Languedoc Names circa 1300 by Josh Mittleman (Arval Benicoeur). This article is an index to names appearing in a collection of guild statutes from the city of Toulouse in 1270 to 1322.
    • An Index to the Given Names in the 1292 Census of Paris by Scott Catledge (Colm Dubh). More than 1000 full names recorded in this census. Includes a separate list of 60 Jewish names.
    • Names from Fourteenth Century Foix by Triste Elliot (Cateline de la Mor). About 50 women's names and 30 men's names from southwest France, 1300-1325.
    • Flemish Names from Bruges, 1400-1600, by Luana de Grood (Loveday Toddekyn). A collection of over 2,500 names taken from the record of the Bruges archers' guild in the County of Flanders. Contains French and Dutch names. Bynames and given names are listed by period, frequency, and alphabetical order. Mainly men, with some women.
    • Sixteenth Century Norman Names by Triste Elliot (Cateline de la Mor). 220 names of men and women from the rolls of the Parlement of Rouen, Normandy in the 16th century.
    • Ordinary of the Role D'Arms of Bigot by Kristina Pereya. A list of 240 coats found in a French roll of arms from 1254.
    • Analysis, Armorial, and Ordinary of Armory Recorded in Paul Bergman's Armorial De Flandre du XVIme Siecle by Brain R. Speer
    • Bibliography for French Names and Armory

    Germany

    • German Names from 1200-1250 by Brian Scott (Talan Gwynek). Names of about 300 men and 50 women from Arnsburg.
    • Medieval German Given Names from Silesia by Brian Scott (Talan Gwynek). Names of roughly 1000 men and 100 women. Mostly between 1300-1500, with some earlier and later.
    • Late Period German Men's Names by Brian Scott (Talan Gwynek). Hundreds of men's names from various German sources, ranging from 1300 to 1600.
    • 15th-Century German Women's Names by Brian Scott (Talan Gwynek). Names of 56 women from a variety of 15th-century German sources.
    • Die Wappenrolle von Zurich by Gerrit Bigalski. Facsimile of a German roll of arms from about 1340. Also available in Deutsch
    • Ordinary of Das Wappenbuch des Reichsherolds Caspar Sturm by Kristina Pereya. A list of coats found in a German collection of arms from 1400-1600.
    • Early Germanic Names from Primary Sources, by Nicolaa de Bracton. Lists of masculine and feminine given names suitable for early Germanic personae, taken from Gregory of Tours' History of the Franks and from Two Lives of Charlemagne, published by Penguin Classics.
    • Bibliography of Old German and Old English Names

    Hungary

    • Hungarian Names 101, by Brian Speer (Walraven van Nijmegen). The best guide to coming up with a Hungarian name, with information on the history and structure of names and name lists for a variety of periods.
    • Hungarian Women's Names, by Brian Speer (Walraven van Nijmege). Names over over 600 women, mostly from the 16th century, taken from a Hungarian dictionary of names.
    • 16th Century Hungarian Names, by Brian Speer (Walraven van Nijmege). An extensive article on late-period Hungarian naming, with a name list.
    • Bibliography for Hungarian Names

    Islam/Middle East

    • Arabic Naming Practices And Period Names List, by David Appleton (Da'ud ibn Auda). How to create an Arabic name. Includes a list of about 160 mens' names and 100 womens' names.
    • A List of Arabic Women's Names, by David Appleton (Da'ud ibn Auda). About 80 names taken from a variety of Arabic sources over a long period.
    • A Short Introduction to Islamic Heraldry A short article on heraldry in the Middle East by Thomas Barnes (Lothar von Katzenellenbogen).
    • Names of Persia
    • Bibliography of Middle Eastern Names

    Ireland

    • Choosing an Irish Name, by Triste Elliot (Cateline de la Mor). A helpful introduction to choosing an Irish name.
    • Quick and Easy Gaelic Bynames, by Sharon Krossa (Effric neyn Kenyeoch vc Ralte). An explanation of how to form a Gaelic byname.
    • 100 Most Popular Men's Names in Early Medieval Ireland, by Heather Rose Jones (Tangwystl verch Morgant Glasvryn). A list of the 100 most common men's names from a collection of early Irish documents.
    • Early Irish Feminine Names From the Index To O'Brien's "Corpus Genealogiarum Hiberniae", by Heather Rose Jones (Tangwystl verch Morgant Glasvryn). 64 names and 30 descriptive terms from the 12th century.
    • Al Beagan"s "Genealogy Notes"(c) 1996 of County Cavan
    • Al Beagan's "Genealogy Notes"(c) 1996 of The Island of Jersey
    • Bibliography for Irish Names

    Italy

    • Feminine Given Names from Thirteenth Century Perugia by Josh Mittleman (Arval Benicoeur). An analysis of 600 women's names from a 1285 tax roll. Includes alphabetic and frequency listing.
    • Men's names from Florence, 1427, by Todd Ferrante (Ferrante laVolpe). Detailed analysis of over 8,000 names.
    • Feminine Given Names from the Online Catasto of Florence of 1427, by Josh Mittleman (Arval Benicoeur) An index based on the same database as the previous article, with the names sorted by frequency and alphabetically.
    • Italian Renaissance Women's Names, by Jo Lori Drake (Rhian Lyth). 82 Florentine names from the 14th and 15th centuries.
    • 15th Century Italian Men's Names by Brian Scott (Talan Gwynek). About 120 full names of men taken from lists of professors at Italian universities.
    • Online Catasto of 1427
    • Bibliography for Italian Names

    Judaism

    • The Hebrew Alphabet by Jacob Faturechi. Characters and pronunciation of the Hebrew alphabet.
    • Jewish Naming Conventions in Angevin England, by Eleazar ha-Levi. A discussion of names for English Jews from 1070-1290. Well over a hundred examples are included.
    • Jewish Names from the 1292 Census of Paris by Scott Catledge (Colm Dubh). A list of about 60 Jewish names extracted from the 1292 census of Paris.
    • Medieval Spanish Jewish Names of the 13th and 14th Centuries, by Juliana de Luna
    • Bibliography for Jewish Names

    Low Countries

    • Women's Names from the Low Countries, 11th Century, by Brian Speer (Walraven Van Nijmege). About 400 names and variants.
    • Flemish Names from Bruges, 1400-1600, by Luana de Grood (Loveday Toddekyn). A collection of over 2,500 names taken from the record of the Bruges archers' guild in the County of Flanders. Contains French and Dutch names. Bynames and given names are listed by period, frequency, and alphabetical order. Mainly men, with some women.
    • Heraldry of Flemish Nobles of the 16th Century by Kristina Pereya. A list of over 500 arms of Flemish Nobles.
    • Bibliography of Netherlandic Onamastics, by Walraven van Nijmege
    • Bibliography for the Low Countries Maintained by Brian Speer (Walraven van Nijmege).

    Romany Names

    • Romany (Gypsy) Names by Josh Mittleman (Arval Benicoeur) and the Academy of Saint Gabriel

    Russia

    • Grammar of Period Russian Names, by Paul Wickenden of Thanet. An excellent discussion of how name elements were put together in period. This is part of the introduction to Paul's dictionary, the next item.
    • A Dictionary of Period Russian Names, by Paul Goldschmidt (Paul Wickenden of Thanet). A list of 25,000 Russian names and variants, with dates.
    • The Cyrillic Alphabet by Natasha Bulashova. Shows the English equivalents of Cyrillic letters used in Russian and other Slavic languages. Includes pronunciations of letters.
    • Name Frequency in the Novgorod Birch-Bark Letters by Masha Gedilaghine Holl (Predslava Vydrina). Over 1300 names of both men and women who live in Novgorod between 1000 and 1400, organized by frequency.
    • Locative Bynames in Medieval Russia, by Paul Goldschmidt (Paul Wickenden of Thanet). An explanation of Russian names which describe where a person is from. Includes many examples.
    • Bibliography for Slavic Names Maintained by Paul Wickenden of Thanet.

    Scandinavia

    • Swedish Feminine Names from ca. 1300, by Christer Romson (Lindorm Eriksson). A list of 50 names from 1286-1310.
    • Bibliography for Scandinavian Names

    Scotland

    • Scottish Names 101, by Sharon Krossa (Effric neyn Kenyeoch vicralte). Necessary information for anyone creating a Scottish name. If you're interested in a Scottish persona, you should read this.
    • Quick and Easy Gaelic Bynames, by Sharon Krossa (Effric neyn Kenyeoch vc Ralte). An explanation of how to form a Gaelic byname.
    • A Consideration of Pictish Names, by Heather Rose Jones (Tangwystl verch Morgant Glasvryn). An extensive discussion of Pictish names.
    • A Simple Guide to Constructing 12th Century Scottish Gaelic Names by Sharon Krossa (Effric neyn Kenyeoch vc Ralte). Exactly what it claims to be.
    • 13th & 14th Century Scottish Names, by Bryan Maloney (Symon Freser of Lovat). A list of Scottish names, with period spelling variants. Only two women.
    • Some Scottish Gaelic Feminine Names, by Josh Mittleman (Arval Benicoeur). A list of every known Scottish Gaelic woman's name.
    • Late-Period Scottish Women's Names, by Brian Scott (Talan Gwynek). About 100 names from 1422-1635.
    • Early 16th Century Scottish Townswomen's Names, by Sharon Krossa (Effric neyn Kenyeoch vc Ralte). List of names and medieval spelling variants, taken directly from period records.
    • A List of Feminine Personal Names Found in Scottish Records, by Talan Gwynek. Names extracted from Black, Surnames of Scotland. Presented in two parts, pre-1400 and post-1400.
    • MacBain's Dictionary
    • Bibliography for Scottish Names and Armory

    Spain & Portugal

    • A Partial List of Leonese and Castilian Given Names 1050-1109 by Robert Huff (Diego Mundoz). 55 male names and 7 female names from a list of Castilian nobles.
    • Catalan Names from 12th and 13th Century Charters, by Josh Mittleman (Arval d'Espas Nord). 80 men's names and 7 women's names from Catalonia.
    • Portuguese Names 1350-1450, by Julia Smith (Juliana de Luna). The names of roughly 200 men and a few women, taken from Portuguese chronicles written in around 1400.
    • Passengers on Columbus' First Voyage by Lorine Schulze. A list of sailors on Columbus' voyage (1492). Includes some names from other countries as recorded in Spanish.
    • Passengers on Magellan's Voyage by Lorine Schulze. A list of the 35 survivors of Magellan's circumnavigation of the earth in 1521.
    • 16th-century Spanish Women's Names, by Kathy Van Stone (Elsbeth Anne Roth). Names of over 500 women who emigrated to the New World in the 1500's.
    • 16th-century Spanish Men's Names, by Kathy Van Stone (Elsbeth Anne Roth). Names of over 800 men who emigrated to the New World in the 1500's.
    • Medieval Spanish Jewish Names of the 13th and 14th Centuries, by Juliana de Luna
    • Bibliography for Spanish Names

    Wales

    • The First Thousand Years of British Names , by Heather Rose Jones. A guide to Welsh and British names up to the year 1000.
    • A Simplified Guide to Creating 13th Century Welsh Names by Heather Rose Jones (Tangwystl verch Morgant Glasvryn). A guide to 13th century Welsh naming.
    • 16th Century Welsh Names in English Contexts by Heather Rose Jones (Tangwystl verch Morgant Glasvryn). A guide to 16th century Welsh naming.
    • 16th Century Welsh Women's Names, by Heather Rose Jones (Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn). A short list of women's names taken from 16th-century records.
    • Women's Names in the First Half of 16th Century Wales, by Heather Rose Jones. A guide to Welsh women's names between 1500 and 1550. There's more to it than you think.
    • Late 16th Century Welsh Names, by Brian Scott (Talan Gwynek). A detailed analysis of 200 Welsh names found in the records of an English court between 1581 and 1595.
    • Bibliography for Welsh Names

    The Problem Names Project

    A number of names frequently come up which people would like to be documented to the Middle Ages or Renaissance, yet which are either purely modern or otherwise problematic. New articles for this collection are welcome.

    • Bethany, Beathag, Bethán, and Bethia by Josh Mittleman (Arval Benicoeur)
    • Branwen, Bronwen and the Like by Heather Rose Jones (Tangwystl verch Morgant Glasvryn)
    • Brianna, Branna, Brenna, and Brenda by Josh Mittleman (Arval Benicoeur).
    • Ceridwen, Kerridwyn, and the Like > by Josh Mittleman (Arval Benicoeur)
    • Corwin, Korwyn and the Like by Josh Mittleman (Arval Benicoeur)
    • Deirdre by Josh Mittleman (Arval Benicoeur)
    • Eilonwy by Sharon Krossa (Effric neyn Kenyeoch vc Ralte)
    • Fiona by Sharon Krossa (Effric neyn Kenyeoch vc Ralte)
    • Gareth and Garth by Josh Mittleman (Arval D'Espas Nord)
    • Liam by Brian Scott (Talan Gwynek)
    • Megan by Josh Mittleman (Arval Benicoeur)
    • Miranda
    • Morgan, Morgana, Morgaine, Murghein, Morrigan, and the like by Heather Rose Jones (Tangwystl verch Morgant Glasvryn)
    • Myrddin by Heather Rose Jones (Tangwystl verch Morgant Glasvryn)
    • Rhiannon, Rhian, and the Like by Josh Mittleman (Arval Benicoeur).
    • Tegan by Josh Mittleman (Arval Benicoeur).

    References for Pre-Medieval Names

    • Bibliography for Pre-Medieval Names
    • Ordinary Consuls of the Roman Republic and Empire. A list of Roman Consuls from 300 BC to 68 AD.
    • Bibliotheca Classica Selecta from the Facultes Universitaires Saint Louis. An extensive bibliography on classical names. In French, but not difficult to use. Contains references in many languages, including English.

    Miscellaneous Name References

    • The Latinization of Names in the Middle Ages by Susan Caroll-Clark (Nicolaa de Braxton). An explanation of how to translate your name into Latin.
    • General-Interest Names
    • Hagiographies
    • Useful Books on Modern Names

    Miscellaneous Heraldic References

    • Books on General-Interest Heraldry
    • Useful Books on Modern Heraldry
    • Books on Designing a Coat of Arms
    • Triangular Field Divisons by Josh Mittleman (Arval D'Espas Nord) An explanation of the different ways of dividing a field with triangular lines. Useful if you need to know the difference between per chevron, a pile inverted, and chausse.
    • The Oath of a King of Arms by Craig Levin (Pedro de Alcazar). Modern English version of an early 15th-century English oath to be taken by a new King of Arms.