These resources relate to names and naming practices used before the 17th century. The articles are grouped according to the modern countries to which the information they contain relate.


Cross-Cultural Patterns

Dithematic Names

England


Old English Occupational Place Names

This brief list of place names derived from the Old English names for various types of workers might be useful if you're interested in finding an interesting name for a branch or if constructing a toponymic byname using an unusual place name or one that relates to your interests.


Ireland


Finding Names in Calendars of Tudor Fiants

Fiants were warrants from the sovereigns of England and Ireland (or their representatives) to the Court of Chancery concerning a variety of legal matters.  In the late 19th century those of the Tudor monarchs were organized, summarized, and indexed, and calendars of their contents were published by the Deputy Keeper of the Public Records in Ireland.  This little article includes links to online scans of the calendars and a few preferatory remarks to help you evaluate their reliability as sources for Anglicized Irish and English given names, bynames/surnames, and place names.


Italy


House Names from a 16th-Century Italian Armorial

Seven house names and an equal number of surnames incorporating house names are given, with links to the pages in a multi-volume armorial in the collection of the Bavarian State Library on which they are found. Some are Latinized; others are purely Italian.


Place Names from a 16th-Century Italian Armorial

Roughly 90 place names recorded in a multi-volume armorial in the collection of the Bavarian State Library are transcribed, and links are given to scans of the manuscript pages on which they appear. Some are Latinized; others are purely Italian.


Surnames from a 16th-Century Italian Armorial

The surnames of several thousand armigers from two dozen cities in what is now Italy are listed in alphabetic order, with links to the page(s) on which each is seen in a multi-volume armorial in the collection of the Bavarian State Library. Some are Latinized; others are purely in Italian.


Rules Useful in Constructing Italian Phrases Appropriate to the 16th century

Instruction on the proper use of Italian nouns, adjectives, articles, and prepositions published in 1611 by the official Reader of the Italian Tongue to Anne of Denmark (queen consort of Scotland, England, and Ireland), written in Early Modern English.