Dave Postles, one of the leading historians of medieval English society, has looked into how names developed during the High Middle Ages. His 2006 book Naming the People of England c.1100-1350 tracks some of these developments, and notes how nicknames were used as last names. Postles believes that in some cases these names were “imposed by local society on errant individuals as a disciplinary measure, as a kind of labelling of miscreants. It was the next best action to complete ostracism.”

Here are some examples:

Agnes Daythef took sanctuary in a London church, where she confessed to stealing a surcoat and many other things. She abjurred the realm.

Henry Golichtly was known to be a robber in Coventry.

John le Fatte raised the suspicions of his neighbours over his wealth, because he ate well, drank well and dressed well. While no evidence was presented of any wrongdoing at the time, six years later he fled his home after being accused of stealing pigs.

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A family in Toulouse, France who called their baby son Jihad are in legal limbo after the city’s authorities took the case to prosecutors to see if the name was lawful. Until 1993, French parents had to choose a first name for their offspring from an officially approved list, but now they are allowed to pick any name as long as it does not go against the child’s interest.

But while the name might seem like a provocative choice, given its meaning of “holy war,” it literally translates to “effort” or “struggle.” Jihad is a “fundamental concept in Islam,” meaning making “the effort to achieve good,” Aderrahmane Oumachar, co-founder of the Toulouse Centre of Muslim Spirituality, told the The Local of France.

The couple, who come from the Toulouse suburb of Léguevin, tried to name their son ‘Jihad’ when he was born in August but the local town hall immediately alerted the public prosecutor to their controversial choice of name. Given the choice of name and the fact France has been on heightened alert after a series of terror attacks by homegrown jihadists, the prosecutor may well decide to refer the case to the family court.

 

Ever wonder why the oceans have the names they do? The word “ocean” itself came to English via Latin from the Greek ōkeanos, which meant “great stream encircling the earth’s disc”. This blog post at Oxford Dictionaries takes a look at the linguistic roots of the world’s five oceans.

Quick, can you name them all without looking at the image?

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have officially announced that they are expecting their third child. Although the expected date for the new royal’s arrival has not been announced, the speculation has already begun on possible names. For their first two children, the couple selected two Hanoverian names that were particularly popular during the 18th century. Whether the proud parents-to-be continue this trend or perhaps pick something a little more modern remains to be seen. For all you fans of the British monarchy, here is an onomastic riddles: What are the 2 middle names of Prince George’s baby sister, Princess Charlotte? Want the answer? Click through to this article at the UK Telegraph to find out!

Elisabeth Okasha’s book Women’s Names in Old English details close to 300 female names from Anglo-Saxon England. Most names were chosen from two words, such as bregu (ruler), wif (woman) and cynn (family).

The website Medievalists.net has selected their 10 favorite female names, including:

Blaedswith (Blædswiþ) – from splendour and strong
Cwenhild – from woman and war
Cynewise – from family and wise

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