Draft Article: Names from 11th Century Carcassonne

March 2015

The data in this article were extracted from five Latin-language charters and letters written by Rangardis, Countess of Carcassonne.  These documents are published on Epistolæ (http://epistolae.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/), a website maintained by Columbia University collecting writings to and from women in the Middle Ages. The letters are transcribed in the original Latin with translations into modern English by Professor Joan Ferrante of Columbia University.

Naming Patterns

1.      For Men

For a very small data set, it shows a wide variety of naming patterns for men, with multiple forms of patronymic bynames and locative bynames.  These most common patterns are:

[given name] + de + [place name]

[given name] + [adjective form of a place name, using the suffix –ensis]

[given name] + filius + [father’s name in the genitive case]

[given name] + [unmarked father’s name in the genitive case]

Many men, particularly those in religious offices, are known solely by their title, such as Petrus presbyter and Frotardo abbati.

There is one example of the adjectival form of the place name coming before the given name: Narbonensis Guilfredi.  There is also one instance of what may be an unmarked surname or an occupational byname: Raymundus Batallia.  The data contains one instance of what may be a matronymic byname in the form [given name] + filia + [mother’s name in the genitive form]. 

By far the most interesting pattern found in the data is the existence of what appear to be compound bynames.  Multiple men are identified two names which are clearly two given names by context.  The transcriptions join these compound names with a hyphen, but the hyphen may not exist in the original documents.

2.      For Women

This data set contains a fairly large number of female names for the time period.  Most women have no byname at all or are known by their titles, such as Rangardis comitissa. However, there are also instances of matronymic bynames in the form [given name] + filia + [mother’s name in the genitive form].

Given Names

Not all spellings found in the text are registerable name spellings for SCA purposes.  Latin spelling varies depending on whether the given name appears as the subject or object of the original sentence.  Only the nominative forms can be used to create given names.  Nominative forms usually end in –us.  Forms ending in –i generally are genitive forms and can be used to create patronymic surnames using the pattern [given name] + filius or filia + [genitive father’s name].

The bolded header forms are the most common nominative forms of the given names.  The forms under the heading are those actually found in the texts.  Where the nominative form is not found in any of the texts, I have extrapolated the likely nominative form based on other period examples.  In instances where I was not entirely sure about the nominative form, I have so indicated with a question mark.  The numbers in the parenthesis are the dates of documents in which the name is found.

1.      Male Given Names

Adalbertus

Adalberti (1067)

Alexandrus

Alexandri (1067)

Beliard(us)

Beliard (1059)

Berengarius

Berengarii (1067)

Bernard(us)

Bernard (1067)

Bernardi (1067)

Bernardus-Rodgarius

Bernardo-Rodgarii (1071)

Enricus

Enrici (1067)

Frotardus

Frotardo (1062)

Frotarius

Frotarii (1062)

Gifredus

Gifredi (1067)

Guillermus

Guillermus (1067)

Guillermus-Joannus

Guillermi-Joanni (1067)

Guilfredus

Guilfredi (1067)

Oliverius

Oliverii (1067)

Oto (?)

Otone (1071)

Petrus

Petri (1067, 1071)

Petronum (1063)

Petrus (1062, 1063, 1071)

Petrus-Berengarius

Petri-Berengarii (1067)

Philippus

Philippi (1063, 1071)

Philippo (1062)

Poncius-Remundus

Poncii-Remundi (1067)

Raymundus

Raimundi (1067)

Raymundi (1071)

Raymundo (1071)

Raymundus (1059, 1062, 1063)

Remundi (1067)

Raymundus-Berengarius

Raymundo-Berengarii (1071)

Remundus-Ermengaudus

Remundi-Ermengaudi (1067)

Ricalfus

Ricalfi (1067)

Rodgarius

Rodgarii (1071)

Rodgario (1071)

Rotgerii (1062)

Rogerius

Rogerio (1063)

Rogerium (1063)

Rogerius (1063)

Scimon

Scimon (1067)

Udalgarius

Udalgarii (1067)

Willelmus

Guillelmi (1062)

Wilelmus (1062)

Willelmus (1062)

2.      Female Given Names

Adalais

Adalais (1062)

Adalez (1067)

Almodis

Almodi (1071)

Amelia

Ameliae (1071)

Ermengardis

Ermengardis (1062)

Garsindis

Garsindis (1062)

Rangardis

Raingardis (1062)

Rangard  (1059)

Rangarda (1063)

Rangardam (1059)

Rangardi (1071)

Rangardis (1067, 1071)

Rengarde (1063)

Rengardis (1059, 1063, 1067)

Trudgarda (possibly Trudgardis)

Trudgarda (1063)

Bynames

abbatus

abbati (1062)

abbatis (1062)

Batallia (1063)

Barcheonensis

Barcheonensi (1071)

Biterrensis (1062)

Carcassonensis

Carcassonensi (1071)

Caunensis

Caunensi (1062)

de Ponça (1067) (transcription notes that the cedilla appears in the source text)

[de] Proliano (1063)

de Redez (1067)

de Villemagna (1067)

Narbonensis  (1067)

Nemausensis (1062)

presbyter (1071)

Sancto Pontio Tomeriacensis monasterii (1062)