Your name is the greatest marker of your individuality. With a name, society marks a person as someone worthy of notice, separating their achievements and activities from other people. This is especially true during the medieval ages, where names could literally describe a person.
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 resulted in the creation of unique naming conventions that were either based on religion, language, or culture. Even today, names that originated from earlier times are still frequently used.
Mononyms
Back in medieval times, people only needed one name. A person could simply be called John or Cateline. As spelling was not that important then, different versions of the same name were frequently used. Bridget could easily be “Byrgytte” and “Brigyt.”
Religion had the strongest influence on naming conventions, with Christianity having the biggest impact on the development of personal names in the western world. Names were often inspired by saints, who were the “celebrities” at the time. Naming your child after a saint was seen as a protective measure, with parents believing these saints would watch over their children.
As society continued to develop, less religious emphasis was placed on names. People would often name their children after famous people at the time, mainly from kings, artists, warriors, and such. William became enormously popular when William the Conqueror ascended to the English throne.
As the population grew, distinguishing people with the same names became an increasing concern. Identifying people using some kind of additional non-hereditary informal name or byname became necessary.
Surnames
There are generally four ways people with the same name differentiated themselves during medieval times.
1. Location
A John who lived near the woods would often call himself “John of the Woods,” or simply John Wood. Similarly, someone living by the road might choose to be known as “the one by the way” which then evolved into the surname Bitheway. In this manner, surnames could be considered primitive addresses.
2. Social Status
People would often use their occupations as a way to distinguish themselves. A Thomas working as a mason would be called Thomas Mason. An earl named James would then be called James Earl.
3. Inherited Names
Sometimes people inherited the names of their parents and used them as their surnames. Jack, whose father’s name is Paul, would call himself as Jack Paul’s son, which would later evolve into Paulson.
Matronyms, though rare at the time, also exist. The son of Maud would go by the surname Madison.
4. Personal Characteristics or Nicknames
People would also go by their most prominent features, or are given a nickname by the public. Someone large could be called big. As spelling wasn’t strict, this could be written as “Byge” or “Bigge”.
Though most of these types of surnames are neutral or even complimentary in their connotations, some could be ironic or derogatory. Someone with the surname Rotenheryng is presumably a seller of fish.
Common Medieval Names
When we think about medieval names, our minds tend to think about fantasy-esque names like Guinevere, Lancelot, Margaery, Lucian, and more.
In reality, most medieval names sound normal, but there are still quite a few interesting ones in the pile. 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.
Here’s a few of the more unique medieval names for girls and boys.
| Girl Names | Boy Names |
|---|---|
| Phrowenia | Zemislav |
| Amicia | Wymar |
| Odilia | Wolfgang |
| Sabelina | Warin |
| Reina | Theobald |
| Krea | Teague |
| Sybil | Tancred |
| Rohesia | Rolund |
| Aleida | Rogue |
| Oriel | Reynard |
| Ryia | Radax |
| Heloise | Percival |
| Damiana | Odo |
| Isolde | Maurin |
| Trea | Lucan |
| Linota | Lief |
| Sigourney | Justus |
| Clement | Joachim |
| Ida | Ives |
| Herleva | Ingram |
| Celestina | Gawain |
| Elysande | Galien |
| Thora | Gaillard |
| Rhoslyn | Finnian |
| Gwenllian | Ferand |
| Sigrid | Faramond |
| Lavinia | Evrouin |
| Aquila | Everard |
| Katelyn | Drogo |
| Ismay | Doran |
| Alianor | Bertram |
| Theophania | Berinon |
| Geva | Aymon |
| Ayleth | Ansel |
| Estrilda | Althalos |
| Emeline | Alphonse |
| Alba | Aldous |
| Maerwynn | Adelard |
| Elspeth | Tybalt |
| Duraina | Sadon |
| Malkyn | Borin |
| Helewis | Carac |
| Anastas | Asher |
| Petronilla | Gorvenal |
| Ellyn | Ranulf |
| Richolda | Umfrey |
| Godiva | Ymbert |
| Enndolynn | Helyas |
| Gussalen | Amalric |
Medieval Name Generators
Looking for more medieval names? Here are a few sites you could check out for ideas.
1. Reedsy
Reedsy is, in my opinion, the best medieval name generator available right now. Aside from ease of navigation, the website splits your search depending on what origin of name you want. You can choose between Old Norse, German, Roman, Celtic, and English.
2. Mithril and Mages
The best thing about Mithril and Mages is that their data is drawn from historical sources. A search could also be customized depending on starting and ending letters and name length. A list of names is also available.
3. The Story Hack
Though it doesn’t provide you with surnames, The Story Hack still provides a decent list of medieval-inspired names, complete with titles. It’s perfect for a quick search and go.
4. Fantasy Name Generators
Straightforward and simple, Fantasy Name Generators loads out ten random medieval-inspired names for your choosing. Don’t like them? Simply click again for another ten.
Choosing Medieval Names
Whether you’re shopping around shopping around for a baby name or choosing a name for a character, medieval names are always fun to explore.
They’re realistic and hold some historical value. Who knows? Maybe you’ll stumble upon the perfect name for your next novel’s protagonist.
Do you have a favorite medieval name? Share it with us in the comments below!
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As a blog writer for TCK Publishing, Kaelyn loves crafting fun and helpful content for writers, readers, and creative minds alike. She has a degree in International Affairs with a minor in Italian Studies, but her true passion has always been writing. Working remotely allows her to do even more of the things she loves, like traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family.
