--------------------

--------------------

I had this discussion with a friend not so long ago, and I believe you'd find something like this in modern England, with native English people. He was saying there were so many "Marks" both in his family and in his aquaintance that he changed his name because he was so sick of 5 people saying "Yes?" whenever someone else called "Hey Mark!".

I imagine there are statistics for this somewhere but a look at something like the Brideport Muster Role could give you an idea of common names in any given area. If you want to be specific, you could get the baptismal records for the target year and place and get a feel for what parents were naming their children.

Additionally, saint's names are always a good bet, as the Catholic Church had/has a rule that children should be given the name of saints.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Charles I:
How does one go about naming themselves? I am portraying a knight(minor probably)in England or maybe living in Ireland (just to keep it different)around 1370-75. Would I have a French name and would I speak French? If possible, I would just like to use the French version of my name ...whatever that is.

---

Hee... Couple of thoughts.

First of all, and please don't think I'm snarking, just pointing out a trend I've noticed, is that "living in Ireland" you won't be "keeping it different". There's a disporportionate number of folks, it seems to me, that have some sort of Irish/Scotish association. That said...

At the end of the 14th century in England, you have a choice between English and French. I can't remember the exact year, but it was sometime during this period that the official court language switched from French to English. Certainly, many people still spoke French, but as likely as not, you'd speak English as well. Consider that the Canterbury Tales were written in English in the 1390s.

I second the link to the Academy of St. Gabriel. Here's their English names site, in particular: http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/english.shtml
Though they help out a number of SCAdians, they're not strictly SCA, and they're standards are generally stricter.

The Pastons had Daddy John, John Paston II and John Paston III, II and III were both at Barnet together, so having the same name for two siblings seems not to have been a worry.

And of course John outside of England is:
Jan
Johan
Johannes
Jehan
Jean
Juan
Joćo
Hans
Ian
Ivan

And that is a small list.

I am lucky, Jorge is fine for my purposes.

--------------------

--------------------

These names I would daresay would have been probable for fifty years either direction.

John de XXXX or whatever is usable, even in the 15th century.

--------------------