ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2937
http://www.s-gabriel.org/2937
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26 Oct 2004
From: Aryanhwy merch Catmael 

Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel!

You wanted to know if <Amira Fairamay> or <Ameria Fairamay> is an
appropriate name for an early 14th-century English woman. 

Your byname is fine; we find <Fairamay> recorded in 1327. [1]

The feminine name <Ameria> is recorded in 1324, and <Amira> in 1328.
[2]  As we said in our initial correspondance with you, <Amira> and
<Ameria> are both Latin spellings.  These are appropriate for contexts
where Latin was used, such as written documents, church settings, or
some university settings where Latin was spoken.  In every day speech,
however, these forms would not have been used.  It is not clear what
the vernacular English spelling of <Ameria> was, but we can offer
some possibilities.

<Ameria> is possibly a feminine form of <Amauri>, which is found as
an English masculine name as <Aimeri>, <Amaury>, and <Amery>. [3]  We
found a woman named <Amery> in 1584. [4]  This leads us to believe 
that <Amauri> was used in the same form for both women and men.
In your period, we find a man named <Roger Ammary> in 1273; his
father's name was likely <Ammary>. [4]  We also found one <Robert
Amary> or <Amory> in 1279. [1]  Based on these, we believe that
<Ammary> or <Amary> is the most likely vernacular form of <Amira> or
<Ameria>, though other variations (such as <Amory>) are also possible.

We hope that this letter has been useful to you and that you won't
hesitate to write us again if any part was unclear or if you have
further questions.  Research and commentary on this letter was
provided by Arval Benicoeur and Talan Gwynek.

For the Academy,
-Aryanhwy merch Catmael, 26 Oct 2004

--
References:

[1] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_ 
(London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995). s.nn. Amery, 
Fairbody

[2] Talan Gwynek, "Feminine Given Names in _A Dictionary of English 
Surnames_" (SCA: KWHS Proceedings, 1994; WWW: Academy of Saint
Gabriel, 1997).
http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/talan/reaney/ 

[3] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian
Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988). s.n. Almeric

[4] Bardsley, Charles, _A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames_ 
(Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1980). s.n. Amery