Online Sites for Name Research for English and Anglo-Saxon Personas in the SCA

At one time in the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) English and Anglo-Saxon personas were very common. They are becoming less common, but still many SCA members opt for an English or Anglo-Saxon persona. Finding a period English or Anglo-Saxon name may sound easy. After all we speak English so how hard should it be to come up with a name in English? The problem is naming conventions have changed over the past 1600 years. Names were not constructed in 800 CE the way they are now.  And many names have fallen out of use while some names in common usage now simply did not exist. Surnames did not become common until the 13th century in England. Prior to that folks generally went by their given name and a byname of some sort either a name telling where they were from (locative), a name describing them (descriptive), or a name based on what their occupation was (occupational). Too, the language itself has changed. One cannot simply name their early period Anglo-Saxon persona Edwin because the name would not have been spelled that way (in the early Anglo-Saxon period it would have been Eadwine). Even in later periods it would be difficult using Modern English for a name. Like Old English the spellings of the Middle English versions of given names, the names of locations, and words for occupations are most often different. With that in mind, here are some online resources to help in developing a name for your English or Anglo-Saxon persona in the SCA. Online resources are generally searchable making it easier to locate a name. You may still need to pick up a book to document an Anglo-Saxon or English name for the SCA, but these sites will generally point you to where you can find a name in print, and in some cases the sites themselves can be used for documentation.

SCA College of Arms - Name Articles
http://heraldry.sca.org/names.html

This is the site to go to to learn how to document a name. Even if you have a herald do all the work for you this will give you an idea of what it takes to register a name. It should be the first stop for anyone wanting to register a name.

Bosworth-Toller Anglo-Saxon Dictionary
http://www.bosworthtoller.com/node/62883

This dictionary is helpful for those wanting an Anglo-Saxon name. Some villages and towns are listed and these would be useful for creating a locative byname. And while occupational and descriptive bynames were rare in the Anglo-Saxon period this dictionary can be used to create those as well.

Old English Translator
http://www.oldenglishtranslator.co.uk

This site is handy for translating Modern English words to Old English for Anglo-Saxon names. For example if one were to enter the word "weaver" in the search box and press on the button that says "Modern English > Old English" you would see Old English words meaning "weaver" like "webba." It can also be used for locations. For example entering "Evesham" into the search box will result in entries for the Old English spellings of  "Eofesham" and "Euesham."

Middle English Dictionary at the University of Michigan
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/med/

This dictionary can be used for creating a byname for an English persona in the period from 12th to late 15th centuries. By that time descriptive and occupational bynames had become common so this dictionary is very helpful. One can find the Middle English equivalents of Modern English words by using the search function which searches definitions as well as Middle English words.

Authentic Names: Anglo-Saxon, Viking
http://www.regia.org/members/names.htm

This is nothing more than a list of names, and one has to document the names elsewhere. Still, it is handy for those that just want to look at a list of names, and pick one out. There are a lot of Anglo-Saxon names listed here giving one plenty of choices.

The Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England
http://www.pase.ac.uk/index.html

A database of Anglo-Saxon names drawn from sources of the period it can be used to document Anglo-Saxon names. Using the search engine on the site one can search for an Anglo-Saxon name and find period sources for the name that can then be used to document the name.

The Domesday Book Online
http://www.domesdaybook.co.uk

The Domesday Book Online is just that. It is the 11th century Domesday Book searchable online. It is good for finding period spellings of Old English names, Anglo-Norman names, as well as Old English place-names. It even has a map of England with the various shires of the 11th century. Click on a shire and you are given all the place names in the Domesday Book for that shire with a link to a list of all the locations in that shire. You can then click on the location and it will take you to the entry in the Domesday Book. This is handy if you want your persona to be from a particular part of England.

Onomasticon Anglo-Saxonicum; a List of Anglo-Saxon Proper Names from the Time of Beda to that of King John
https://archive.org/details/onomasticonangl00seargoog

This is not actually a website, but an ebook that can be read online. The Onomasticon Anglo-Saxonicum by William George Searle is the go to book for Anglo-Saxon names. Compiled from many, many Anglo-Saxon documents you will find many names here you will not find elsewhere. Not only that it gives name elements that allow you if you are so inclined to construct your own name.

Studies on Uncompounded Personal Names in Old English
https://archive.org/details/studiesonuncompo00rediuoft

Another ebook handy for finding Anglo-Saxon names it gives the names as well as the primary sources the names are taken from. It is compiled from many Anglo-Saxon documents. The book is also handy for learning how Anglo-Saxon names were constructed.

Old English Occupational Bynames at the Viking Answer Lady Site
http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/Stars/OE_Occupational_Bynames.htm

Occupational bynames were rare in the Anglo-Saxon period, but not unheard of. This is a list of some of the occupational bynames that were used.

The Historical Gazetteer of England's Place-Names
http://placenames.org.uk/

This site has over four million place-names from England. These names range from names for villages to fields to streets. The search lets you search for a modern or historical name giving you all the places for a given name by type (settlement, parish, street, and so on), and the entries for a name gives you the names of the documents the name can be found in. It is then a simple matter of locating a document to document a place-name. This resource is invaluable for creating a locative byname. It is very useful for both Anglo-Saxon and English names.

SCA College of Arms - Name Articles (England)
http://heraldry.sca.org/names.html#england

Most of these articles are on names from what I consider the late period (15th to 17th centuries) that the SCA covers. Still there are articles that are helpful for anyone wanting an English name anywhere from the 13th to 17th century. Given names and surnames are covered by the numerous articles listed here.

The Medieval Names Archive: English, Old English, and Anglo-Norman Names
http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/english.shtml

This site has articles for every period the SCA covers for English names as well as links to other sites that cover English names. It is perhaps one of the best resources for finding an English name from any period.

Calendar of Patent Rolls
http://sdrc.lib.uiowa.edu/patentrolls/

An excellent place to find and document medieval English names the patent rolls are documents that expressed the will of the various English kings of the era,

English Surnames: Their Sources and Significations
http://books.google.com/books?id=JckYAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

An ebook useful for finding English surnames.It lacks dates for many of the names, so you may have to document a name from elsewhere, but it is still great for getting leads.

English Given Names from 16th and Early 17th C Marriage Records
http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/english/parishes/parishes.html

Parish records from the 15th and 17th centuries a great source for finding names from those centuries.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames with Special American Instances
http://books.google.com/books?id=RbkEAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

An ebook that can be read online it is an excellent source of English surnames. Dates are given with the names so you should be able to use this book for documentation.

FamilySearch
https://familysearch.org/search

Some records on FamilySearch can be used to document names for the SCA. Many of the parish registries for England have been made available some as early as 1440 CE. If one is wanting a late period persona this site can be very helpful. You will have to see the SCA College of Arms section on documenting names as to how to use these records.

There are no doubt other online resources for Anglo-Saxon and English names and as I locate them I will add them to this list. Documenting English names for the SCA is actually fairly easy. If a name existed in the medieval period it is likely it was recorded somewhere. If you need any help in documenting an English name for use in the Society for Creative Anachronism feel free to contact me and I will see what I can do. However, with these resources it should not be a difficult task for one to do his or herself.

My Heraldric Achievement

In  the Kingdom of Calontir the populace is allowed the use of "a Helm, Torse, Crest, Mantling and Motto" according to kingdom law (see AIII-322 Heraldric Acheivements in "The Sumptuary Laws of Calontir" http://seneschal.calontir.org/calontir-law-14th-ed.php#appendix-3). With that in mind I decided to design my own and share it on SCA Heraldry Chat on Facebook. And to my great surprise, Conal Mac Nachtan (Bill Knight) designed an even better one for me! It is absolutely beautiful and I am very much in his debt. Conal plays in the Kingdom of the Outlands and serves as the Kingdom Chirurgeon there. He also runs a website that sells heraldric wear (everything from mugs to T-shirts to badges). You can visit it at: http://www.conalscorner.com/ Like me Conal also designs devices for people for free, and his work is wonderful. He has examples on his site. Here is the heraldric achievement he did for me:

Missouri and Things: Beware of Companies Selling you Family Coats of Ar...

Missouri and Things: Beware of Companies Selling you Family Coats of Ar...: One of my interests over the years has been heraldry. Heraldry is defined by the Oxford Dictionaries as "the system by which coats of a...

Sable, an eagle displayed Or, on a chief embattled gules, three acorns Or.

Why Register a Name in The SCA?

One is not required to register a name in the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), and many do not. I know I went for ten years (combining my first and second stints in the SCA) without registering a name. For years and years folks have went their entire SCA lives without registering a name. Some kingdoms now require one have a registered name or device to receive a scroll for an award though (to register a device one must register a name) or to register a name and device to fight in their respective crown tourneys. Even if one is not required to register a name to receive an scroll for an award in his or her kingdom there are some advantages to registering a name.

First and foremost by registering your name and device you avoid confusion. Lets say there are two people going by Henry of Faversham. One resides in An Tir, the other in the East Kingdom. As long as the two never cross paths, and no one that knows them crosses paths, there may not be a problem. Not being in the same kingdom there is unlikely to be any confusion over who received what award. But lets say Henry of Faversham moves from An Tir to the East Kingdom. Suddenly, folks talking about "Henry of Faversham" have to ask, "Do you mean the one from Glenn Linn or the one from Stonemarche?" More confusion is encountered when awards are granted. Henry of Faversham from Glenn Linn may be recorded in the East Kingdom Order of Precedence as having gotten an award given to Henry of Faversham from Stonemarche. There are safeguards against this, but mistakes can be made. Even if both stay in their respective kingdoms there can be confusion. Lets say one or both are admitted to the Order of the Pelican. Suddenly folks are confused when people are talking about "Henry of Faversham." Granted these are worst case scenarios, but even then there can even be confusion when folks are referring someone to one of them for answers about some area of expertise. Lets say Henry of Faversham from An Tir is a master armorer, while Henry of Faversham from East Kingdom cannot even tell you what a mail coif is. Henry of Faversham of East Kingdom may be perplexed as to why he is getting questions on how to make a pair of gauntlets.

There can be similar confusion over devices. Lets say John of Amlesmore adopts a gold cross with a red background (gules, a cross Or)  as the design of his device. Jack of Brokenbridge quite unaware John of Amlesmore is using that device decides he wants that design too. Then comes a day when the Kingdoms of Calontir and the East face each other on the field of battle. For whatever reason both armies are wearing purple surcoats (with their respective kingdom emblems on them of course). In the heat of battle all one may see is a flash of purple and the shield. Suddenly, John and Jack are wondering why they are not getting hit, or worse yet why members of both armies are attacking them. In battle shields play an important role in identifying whose who. The same is true of tournaments to a lesser degree. It is therefore important that each device be unique.

By registering names and devices one avoids such needless confusion. The College of Arms ensures that each name and each device registered is unique, and is not too similar to another. Thus there cannot be two Henrys of Favershams, or two devices that are a gold cross on a red background. Such a practice may not be authentic to period, but then folks did not travel in the Middle Ages as they do now. Folks that knew John of Ashford from Surrey may never meet people that knew John of Ashford from Kent. A knight in England with a shield with a gold cross on it may never meet a knight from Sweden with a shield with the same emblem. Today, that is not a case. It is entirely possible Henry of Faversham of An Tir may move to East Kingdom where he will be confused with the Henry of Faversham that has always lived in East Kingdom. And it is entirely possible John of Amlesmore and Jack of Brokenbridge both bearing shields with a gold cross on them will both be at Pennsic.

There are other reasons to register a name and a device. When your name and device passes submission it is added to the records the College of Arms keeps. These for the most part are now online for all to see. This makes it easy for the respective Crowns, heralds, and scribes to know who you are and what name to put on scrolls for awards, and what name to put in the Order of Precedence. It is makes it easy for a herald who has never seen a name spelled, who has only heard it, to check the spelling to make sure the scribe doing the scroll spells it right. It saves the time of inquiring of group members how a member's name is spelled and possibly ruining what is to be a surprise award.

Finally, registering a name is a polite thing to do. It shows one is serious about the SCA, that he or she is dedicated to it. It shows that one wants to make it easier for the Crown and officers when they make awards, and ensures people know who is being spoken of when referrals are made. There is no requirement to register a name. One can use a name his or her entire time in the SCA without ever registering it. There are many sustaining members who are group officers that do not have a registered name. At the same time it is a good idea. One thing that must be emphasized if you are a new member though, do not just rush out and register a name. Take your time, use your own legal birth name for a while if need be (I could have went by Berry of Amlesmore for a while before attempting to register my name if I wanted). There is no rush. It is more important one choose a name to register they like than to just register a name to have a name registered. To register a name it is suggested you talk to your local herald. You can also read my post Picking Out a Period Name in the Society for Creative Anachronism and Modar University's Why Register Your SCA Name and Armory?.

Picking Out A Period Name in the Society for Creative Anachronism

One issue that often comes up in the Society for Creative Anachronism is that a member picks out a name for his or her persona, brings it to a herald, tries to get it registered only to find out it cannot be registered as it cannot be found in period sources. And ofttimes this is upsetting to the member as he or she may have become attached to the name, and may even have been using it since he or she picked it out. A lot of this heartache is simply because SCA members do not realize that any name they register for a persona must be authentic. It must be the sort of name that someone from the era of the persona would have had. This is specific to culture and language as much as it is time period. Thus Offa of Tamworth might do well for an Anglo-Saxon persona of the tenth century, but not for a 16th century Austrian persona. Offa of Wien would not be likely to be able to be registered as the name Offa is an 8th century Anglo-Saxon name and would not do for a 16th century Austrian persona. Of course there is always the question of why must a name be from the period? Why can't someone just make up a name? The answer is that name creation is like anything else in the SCA. A woven tablet using Mickey Mouse as a pattern would not get very far in an Arts and Sciences competition nor would a fighter be allowed to fight in SWAT armor. Of course while not being able to use the modern name one wants is frustrating nearly all of the frustration in picking out a name that can be registered can be avoided if one realizes from the start that he or she must use a name that may have been used in period. It may mean some changes in how a SCA member approaches choosing a name though, and this is where heralds can be a great deal of help. The first step one should take before ever choosing an SCA name is consult a herald.

When choosing a name there are three simple questions that must be answered when one creates a persona for the SCA. They are who, where, and when. Who is the persona, what culture is he or she a part of, what language does he or she speak? Where does the persona live? Has he or she always lived there? And finally, when did the persona live? Until a SCA member can answer those questions there is no use in picking out a name. To pick out a name a member needs to know what people the persona is a part of, what language would the name be in, and when the persona lived. Once a SCA member knows those things he or she are ready to choose a name for his or her persona.

Whether the member is doing it his or herself or having a herald do it for them the first step is to look at period sources for when and where the persona lived. Some heralds maintain name lists a SCA member can look at, and there are some databases online, but one may have to look through period manuscripts and records. By looking at period sources one can get an idea of the names available. For some times and places there may be a great number of names. For others there may not be many. In general the later the time period the greater number of names that will be available.That is not to say a person should limit themselves to later sources. In some cases in earlier periods it is possible to construct a name on known naming patterns. For example someone might attempt to register the name Wulfræd if he is doing an Anglo-Saxon persona on the basis that it may follow known Anglo-Saxon practices of name construction. Not all sources of names are created equal. Anything with the word "baby" in the title should be avoided as the point of such sites and books is to provide modern names for modern babies, not document the origins and meanings of names. A good source of names should provide the date the names were used as well as list the period documents the names were mentioned in or better yet the period documents themselves. Period literature like Icelandic sagas and records like parish registries are both good examples of sources for period names.A herald can help in this search and point one in the direction of period sources of names.

There are two reasons people generally pick out a name. One is based on how the name sounds. One wants a name that sounds a certain way. The second reason is based on meaning. One wants a name that has a certain meaning. Neither reason is more important than the other. This is something one should keep in mind when picking out a name. If one is looking at how a name sounds it is a simple matter of looking at names that sound like or are close to what one wants. I have seen some people even willing to allow this to determine the time and place of their persona. They are willing for their persona to be of any time and place within the period just to have a name that sounds a certain way. Folks wanting a name with a certain meaning often need not be so flexible. In many cases it is just a simple matter of finding a name that has the meaning they want. There are other reasons one might want a certain name or type of name. For me I simply wanted a name used in the time period I chose as well as one used in the culture my persona existed so I looked for names used in 8th century Anglo-Saxon England. I chose Wulfhere as I admired a king of that period with that name. Others may want to use early versions of a family name. Say if Henry is a common name in his or her family he or she may choose to use it or an early version of it. No doubt there are other reasons a person may want a certain name ranging from naming themselves for a famous personage (choosing the name Richard because he or she admires Richard the Lion Hearted) to wanting a name similar to their own modern name.

Once one has chosen a given name the second step to choose a byname. Again one can rely on a herald to help him or her. In later periods bynames can be surnames.  Surnames of the period can be found in period documents. I have a friend that uses the 16th century version of his maternal grandfather's surname. He used a parish registry of the 16th century to document his surname. Since surnames did not often exist in earlier periods bynames were simply something that described the person so as to differentiate he or she from others with the same given name. These may be locative, describing where the persona is from; descriptive, a byname that notes something different about the persona; patronymic,a byname that tells who the persona's parents are; or occupational, a name that gives the occupation of the persona. Since surnames were not used in 8th century England I had to choose a locative, a descriptive, a patronymic, or an occupational byname. I wanted my persona to be from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia so I chose a town that existed at that time in what is now that part of England. I really did not care where in the kingdom of Mercia my persona was from so I simply looked for a place whose name could be found in documents of the period. I found Evesham, England which was in Mercia mentioned in a very early charter for a monastery so I could document it easily and therefore chose it. I could have just as easily decided I wanted my persona to have a certain profession and chose a byname based on that. Say if I wanted my persona to be a farmer I might have looked for Anglo-Saxon words for farmer. While rare in the period of my persona I could have used a descriptive name. If say I wanted my persona to be known for being handsome I may have chosen  Wulfhere se Alor. Or while also rare in my period I could have used a patronymic byname say Wulfhere Wuffessunu. Like given names bynames must be documented in some way. A herald can be a great deal of help here. A SCA member may know he or she wants something like a byname meaning "the weaver," but not know how to say it in the language of the persona. Here a herald can help by suggesting words he or she knows, or get help from another herald that is familiar with the language.

Finally one must figure out how a name is constructed specific to the language the persona's name is in. For most this will simply mean going to a herald and having him or her do it for them. However if one wants to do it his or herself this is how it can be done. How a byname is constructed varies from language to language and sometimes from century to century.  For example, with an early period Anglo-Saxon byname if a locative the place name must take the dative case (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dative_case for an explanation of the dative case). In some languages it is possible to construct a name following known patterns and using words commonly used in parts of names. This must be documented differently than simply finding a given name or byname in a period document. One must show that each part of the name would have been used in a language's methods of name construction. Using the example of Wulfræd earlier one would have to show that Wulf- was used as part of an Anglo-Saxon name, and that -ræd was also. This also applies to bynames. With Anglo-Saxon locative bynames one can make up place names. Thus Wulfræd could be Wulfræd of Wulfeshamme as places were often named for people. Wulf was a common Anglo-Saxon given name while -ham was a common ending for the names of villages and towns. Some other languages do this as well. The page Naming Construction and Patterns gives many ways names were constructed in the various time periods of many of the cultures personas can be from in the SCA. In my case the form of Evesham in my period was Eofesham and the dative of that was Eofeshamme. I also had to use something denoting that I was from there. Since "of" is a good Anglo-Saxon preposition meaning "from," and can be found in the Bosworth-Toller Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, and is accepted by the SCA College of Arms as a legitimate form of Anglo-Saxon name construction I used it. Note my name is still going through the registration process so it could become Wulfhere æt Eofeshamme if the heralds so choose, æt being a less commonly used Anglo-Saxon word meaning "from."

Choosing a name one wants in the SCA need not be a heartbreaking experience. One must simply realize that names like everything else in the SCA must be in period. Choosing a name is no different from a scribe only using known motifs and fonts from the period the SCA covers. One would not expect a scribe to do a scroll in Times New Roman simply because he or she likes the look of the font. Similarly one would not expect a fighter to fight in modern bomb armor simply because it is lighter than wearing period plate or chain armor. Choosing a name is no different. And to use the comparison of the fighter again, fighters often rely on armorers to make their armor. In the same way an SCA member can rely on a herald to help create their persona's name.

Once one has chosen a name, and documented it, or had a herald document it, one is ready to register the name. Registration varies from kingdom to kingdom and one is encouraged to find a herald in his or her kingdom to help or go to his or her kingdom's heraldry website to see how to register a name. It usually consists of giving one's contact information, a birth date for identification, and listing the sources one used to document the name. In some cases one may have to provide photocopies of the sources. Even well documented names may not be able to be registered. Sometimes someone is already using a name or something similar, and each SCA member's name must be unique to her or him. However, generally if one has done his or her homework or has a good herald doing all the groundwork for him or her registration is a painless if long process. A piece of advice though, it is possible to over document. When I started the registration process for my name I sent 19 pages of documentation overwhelming our poor submissions herald. The truth is only one or two pieces of documentation is needed for the given name and byname. One could perhaps easily provide only one piece of documentation for the given name and one for the byname and if from reliable sources get his or her name registered. The point is though if one chooses a name from period sources, or constructs a name using period practices there will be a lot less heartache than simply picking out a name, and then hoping it will pass. If one wants to know more about choosing a period name it is suggested he or she go to SCA College of Arms - Name Articles