Looking for more medieval names? Here are a few sites you could check out for ideas. Here’s a few of the more unique medieval names for girls and boys. From normal to the super weird and sometimes unfortunate, the Dictionary of Medieval Names From European Sources hold a long list of names sourced between 500 to 1600 AD. In reality, most medieval names sound normal, but there are still quite a few interesting ones in the pile. When we think about medieval names, our minds tend to think about fantasy-esque names like Guinevere, Lancelot, Margaery, Lucian, and more. Someone with the surname Rotenheryng is presumably a seller of fish. Though most of these types of surnames are neutral or even complimentary in their connotations, some could be ironic or derogatory. As spelling wasn’t strict, this could be written as “Byge” or “Bigge”. People would also go by their most prominent features, or are given a nickname by the public. The son of Maud would go by the surname Madison. Matronyms, though rare at the time, also exist. Jack, whose father’s name is Paul, would call himself as Jack Paul’s son, which would later evolve into Paulson. Sometimes people inherited the names of their parents and used them as their surnames. An earl named James would then be called James Earl. A Thomas working as a mason would be called Thomas Mason. People would often use their occupations as a way to distinguish themselves. In this manner, surnames could be considered primitive addresses. Similarly, someone living by the road might choose to be known as “the one by the way” which then evolved into the surname Bitheway. LocationĪ John who lived near the woods would often call himself “John of the Woods,” or simply John Wood. There are generally four ways people with the same name differentiated themselves during medieval times. Identifying people using some kind of additional non-hereditary informal name or byname became necessary. William became enormously popular when William the Conqueror ascended to the English throne.Īs the population grew, distinguishing people with the same names became an increasing concern. People would often name their children after famous people at the time, mainly from kings, artists, warriors, and such.
Naming your child after a saint was seen as a protective measure, with parents believing these saints would watch over their children.Īs society continued to develop, less religious emphasis was placed on names. Names were often inspired by saints, who were the “celebrities” at the time. Religion had the strongest influence on naming conventions, with Christianity having the biggest impact on the development of personal names in the western world. Bridget could easily be “Byrgytte” and “Brigyt.” As spelling was not that important then, different versions of the same name were frequently used.
A person could simply be called John or Cateline. Mononymsīack in medieval times, people only needed one name. Even today, names that originated from earlier times are still frequently used. This resulted in the creation of unique naming conventions that were either based on religion, language, or culture. The Middle Ages were times of frequent change and mixing of cultures mostly brought about by the fall of the Western Roman Empire and considered to have lasted from the 5th to the late 15th century. This is especially true during the medieval ages, where names could literally describe a person. With a name, society marks a person as someone worthy of notice, separating their achievements and activities from other people. Your name is the greatest marker of your individuality.
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