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Medieval Goodness
Hi everybody! So I was doing research for a play I'm writing (takes place during the early reign of Edward III after all the crap surrounding Roger Mortimer was settled), and it got me into looking at all the Plantagenet and Capet names, as well as names of other prominent noble families. So I felt like, for the benefit and amusement of board members, I would compile a list of known names of royalty and nobility - primarily used in western Europe, but if anybody wants to add some Slavic, or other neglected Medieval ethnicity, names to this list, be my guest!
Adam
Alan
Alexander
Alfonso / Alphonso
Anthony (I didn't see this used by nobility or royalty until the 15th century)
Arthur
Aymer
Baldwin
Benoît
Bernard
Bohemond
Charles
Conan
David
Edmund
Edward
Eneas
Enguerrand / Ingelram (same guy)
Eustace
Ferdinand / Fernando
Frederick
Fulk
Geoffrey (only seemed to be used in the High Middle Ages; I didn't encounter it after the thirteenth century)
George (I didn't see this used by nobility or royalty until the 15th century)
Gilbert
Guala
Guy
Helias
Henry / Enrique
Herluin
Hubert
Hugh
Humphrey
Jasper (I didn't see this used by nobility or royalty until the 15th century)
John
Lionel
Lothar
Louis
Nicholas
Odo / Otto
Owain / Owen
Peter
Piers
Philip
Ralph
Ranulph
Raymond / Ramon
Reginald
Richard
Robert
Roger
Rupert
Sancho
Simon
Stephen
Theobald
Therry
Thomas
Walter / Wat
WilliamAdela
Adelaide
Adeliza
Aenor
Agatha
Agnes
Alice / Alix
Aliénor (Eleanor of Aquitaine's real name)
Anfide
Anne
Antigone (granddaughter of Henry IV)
Aveline
Beatrice
Berengaria / Berenguela
Birgitta / Bridget ((I didn't see the latter used by nobility or royalty until the 15th century)
Blanche / Blanca
Catherine / Katherine
Cecilia / Cecily
Clementia / Clémence
Constance/ Constanza
Ela
Eleanor / Leonor
Elizabeth
Euphemia
Herleva
Ida
Isabel / Isabella / Isabelle (it seems like after the reign of King John these names became *super* popular!)
Jacquetta
Jane
Jean / Jeanne
Joan / Joanna
Juliana
Katarina
Lucia-Mahaut
Margaret / Marguerite
Marie / Mary
Marjorie
Märta
Matilda / Mafalda
Maud / Maude
Pernel
Petronilla
Philippa (this name seemed to become trendy only after Philippa of Hainault, Edward III's queen)
Sancha
Sybilla
Urraca
Violante
Please rate my personal short name lists (the latter includes combos):
www.behindthename.com/pnl/69381
www.behindthename.com/pnl/69381/91835 (updated)
http://greens-end.myminicity.com/

This message was edited 7/6/2014, 11:40 AM

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Replies

Ha, I find my daughter's s.o.'s name there, first time I've seen it turn up. Great list!
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Funny, I come from Brazil and some of these name are or were popular there till some time ago :s Isabel, Branca (Portuguese version of Blanche), Juliana, Eneas and Reginald (Reinaldo) are all names of people I know.
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I love a lot of these names. The one that stuck out the most to me was Aliénor, which is, you know, awesome. Also, I recognized Violante thanks to a series of books I love.Good luck with the writing!
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I lurve Jacquetta. If you watch the series The White Queen (oh my gosh, I love it so much), the character of Jacqetta is the best character in the series.I descend from the Plantagenets (it's not unusual), so a lot of these names are familiar to me.I also like:Arthur
Aymer
Baldwin
Benoît
Bernard
Bohemond -- I'm related to this one, I know.
Conan
Edmund
Edward
Eneas -- Oooh, that one is neat.
Enguerrand / Ingelram
Eustace
Ferdinand / Fernando
Fulk
Geoffrey (only seemed to be used in the High Middle Ages; I didn't encounter it after the thirteenth century)
Helias
Lothar -- cool
Odo
Owain -- cool
Adela
Adelaide
Adeliza
Aenor
Agatha
Agnes
Alice / Alix
Aliénor (Eleanor of Aquitaine's real name)
Anfide
Anne
Beatrice
Birgitta / Bridget
Catherine / Katherine
Cecilia / Cecily
Clementia / Clémence
Ela
Eleanor
Elizabeth
Euphemia
Herleva
Ida
Isabel / Isabella / Isabelle
Jacquetta
Jean
Joan
Katarina
Margaret
Mary
Marjorie
Märta
Matilda / Mafalda
Sybilla
Urraca
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Some of these are awesome. I particularly love:Aymer
Bohemond
Eneas
Enguarrand
Eustace
Fulk
Helias
Herluin
Hubert
OwainAdeliza
Anfide
Berengaria
Clementia
Euphemia
Herleva
Jaquetta
Petronilla
In all seriousness, though, I really actually personally like:Arthur
Charles
Edmund
Edward
Jasper (funny how this name seems so modern but it's been around for hundreds of years)
Thomas
WilliamAlice
Aliénor (this name is so pretty!)
Aveline
Beatrice
Catherine
Cecilia
Cecily
Clémence
Eleanor
Isabel
Märta
Matilda
Sybilla
Violante (cool-sounding name, even with the 'violent' similarity)This makes me completely marvel at how some names are seemingly always around, throughout time, like Alexander, David, John, Thomas, William, Catherine, Elizabeth and Mary. And then there are others like Bohemond and Euphemia that disappear. Imagine if all the Elizabeths were Euphemias!
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